Wild
by DarknessAhead
Summary: Spencer is a young German shepherd, a stray dog living in the city. He's been on his own for a while after his mother died and tries to survive. His mother always used to tell him stories about Weed, the Ginga Legend, and Spencer's biggest dream is to meet Weed and the pack one day. Together with other stray dogs he starts a journey to meet Weed, and to become true wild dogs.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**  
_''I was born in a litter of three pups, my brother, my sister, and me. Our mother was a German shepherd, I'm not sure about my father's breed. We were born on the street. Yes, we were street dogs. My father… my father was caught and brought to the pound, my mother told me, but that was all she has ever told me about him. I've never met him, never seen him before, I don't know his name nor his breed, nor my grandparents or anyone else that involved my father._  
_We were born during late winter, our mother was ill. When we were around four weeks old she died and my siblings and I were left on our own. It was a hard world; no one took us in, no single dog adopted us into their pack of strays. We were doomed to die. Until the humans came._  
_My siblings were adopted by humans, but I was the only one being left behind. I don't know why, probably they didn't like me, or I wasn't nice-looking enough because I was a mutt, maybe. But then again, so were my siblings. I still don't know the reason why I wasn't adopted, and I probably will never get to know._  
_How did I survive, you might think. Let's say there was this old dog, I can't remember what he looked like, but he took me in and cared for me until I was six months old. He made me street wise, taught me all sorts of things on how to survive, until he died of old age. I was six months old, he was ten years old. It was a big difference, he could have been my grandfather, maybe even my great grandfather, but I liked to call him… dad. Because he had been there for me, because he was the only father figure I had ever known. He was a real sweetheart, and I still miss him._  
_I'm now one year old, yes, a yearling, and still roaming this world on my own. I'm a loner, a packless loner that survives by eating the scraps from trash cans humans leave behind. Sometimes I steal from humans and pet dogs, just to make sure I get myself fed enough. It are hard times, really hard times._  
_Though, I've always had hope, because my mother used to tell me and my siblings stories when we were only a few weeks old. She told us about this huge pack of stray dogs living in the forest, completely free from humans, hunting together like wild wolves, like they really are wolves. The pack of __Ōu, in the Ōu Mountains in Japan, lead by the great tora-ge dog Gin, which later on passed his leadership on to his son Weed, who was a tora-ge dog just like him; a silver coated dog, covered in stripes.__  
__Why do I keep hope, you ask? Well, my mother always told me these stories were real, a true legend. And my wish is, that I will one day stand next to their alpha, and be part of the Ōu pack. I want to become part of them, I want to be a true wild dog. Not a stray, but a wild one. I will find them someday, and then I will finally be a true wild dog.__''_


	2. Chapter 1

Lonely, lonely but not sad, that was this very particular dog. The German shepherd mix ran through the street, a bone in his jaws, a barking and growling dog running after him, which was much older and much bigger than him. The yearling dog quickly ran into an ally and jumped onto a trash can, making his way over the wooden fence parting the two alleys. During his action he made the trash can fall; the older dog chasing him was unable to follow him any further, and he stayed behind cursing at the yearling.  
The yearling, named Spencer, finally ended up in an abandoned area, occupied by no one but himself. He yawned and laid down, laying the bone safely between his front paws. He looked at it satisfied, licking his lips and ready to dig in, but a loud noise and some muttering caught his attention before his jaws could bury themselves in the delicious meal.  
''Huh?'', he mumbled to himself, getting to his paws. He wasn't sure if someone would come and take the bone he had just stolen, so Spencer picked it up and took it along, looking around the corner of the alley to see who it was that had much such a loud noise.

''Hello? Who's there?'', Spencer asked as he stepped into the alley, the bone now lying in front of his paws. He saw something move near a fallen trash can; a small curly tail sticking out of it, a big fat butt, like it was a very spoiled dog. At least, Spencer thought it was a dog, he had never seen such a tail before in his life. ''Who are you? Hello?''  
''What!?'', suddenly an annoyed and low male voice spoke, and the weird animal in front of Spencer made his appearance, coming out of the trash can and turning so that the two could meet each other's eyes. It appeared to be a little fat dog, with a cream coat and a black snout and black floppy ears, it's tail in a weird curl. He wore a red collar, so it _had_ to be a pet dog. The dog looked at Spencer with an enormous grumpy expression, his brown eyes staring straight into the yearling's soul. ''What do ya want, ya mutt!? Get lost! I'm getting myself here some scraps, 'kay? Get out of my territory!''  
Spencer tilted his head to the side, eyeing the odd looking dog confusedly. He sat down, staring down at him. This dog was much older than him, yet so much smaller, it looked like a pup, yet it had the expression of an adult dog. Or was he becoming a senior already? He had many wrinkles, but maybe that was part of his breed? Spencer wasn't really sure, so he cleared his throat, ready to address this strange dog.

''Um… mister? Mister? Hello?'', he asked, listening to the annoyed muttering from the older dog that went back into the trash can to search for more food. ''Mister, what kind of dog breed are you? Where do you come from? Why are you here on the street searching through trash while you have a collar? What's your name?''  
The dog got out of the trash can again, staring irritated at the yearling and he huffed, shaking his head with a sigh. He muttered to the kid: ''Dang, do ya never stop babbling? I'm a purebred pug, I'm from a home, with humans, etc., I ran away from home because I couldn't take it anymore. That's why I still have this collar my humans gave me. Oh, and my name is William. Are you done asking now?''  
Spencer looked confused at the dog once more, narrowing his eyes to look at the collar around his neck, getting a clearer view of it.  
''But your collar says… Mr. Puggy?'', he said, a giggle leaving his throat. ''Mr. Puggy, really?''  
''Look, kiddo. They called me that, I hated that name. I'm William, end of story!'', the pug responded with a snort, growling at Spencer. ''Now shut up and let me be! I need food… Food.''  
With those words he returned to searching into the trash can for a meal. Spencer looked at him, watching him in silence, his tail wagging slightly. He then reminded himself of the bone he had caught and looked down at him, his cheerful expression slowly changing into a sad one. But if he wanted to have this dog as a companion he could trust, he maybe first could help him out.

''Hey um, sir.'', he began, glancing back at the curly tail sticking out of the trash can. The pug came out once more, looking irritated at him. ''Do you want this bone?''  
He put his paw on the little snack and eyed the pug who called himself William. This dog stared at him and then at the bone, before looking back up at the German shepherd mix again. He slowly crept forward, like he really wanted to have this bone, yet he didn't really trust the yearling. Stopping just a few feet away from Spencer he looked up at the yearling again, realizing he was kind of drooling over it, and he quickly cleared his throat.  
''Um, well, yes… thank ya?'', he mumbled, just loud enough for Spencer to hear, who wagged his tail with a happy look on his face. ''But why?''  
''Well, you need food, I need a companion, or maybe more.'', Spencer said and the pug frowned, glancing up at him with an uneasy look in his brown eyes.  
''Sneaky little thing- blackmailing me now, aren't ya?'', William responded and Spencer just simply nodded, the cheerful smile not leaving his face, his tail now wagging with true excitement. ''Okay fine, let's make a deal. Ya give me that bone and learn me how to catch some food myself, and I will accompany ya and tell ya stories. Deal?''  
''Deal!'', Spencer said smiling, nodding his head. He lifted his paw from the bone so William could snatch it away. Laying down he began to chew on it, now and then staring up at the yearling uneasily, because the kid was watching him as he fed himself. Kind of unnerving.  
''So?'', William asked finally, looking up from the bone he was devouring. Spencer looked back down at him, awaiting the dog's next words. ''What's yar name, kid?''  
''I'm Spencer.'', Spencer responded and William snorted, a chuckle escaping his flattened snout.  
''Well then, nice to meet ya, Spencer. Maybe some meat next time will be good? Great, looking forward to my next meal.''


	3. Chapter 2

The two dogs walked through the streets, their eyes at the horizon, their jaws shut. William walked in the front, his chest puffed out forward and a grumpy expression on his face like always; even though William was only a small, fat pug, he acted like a dominant leader, something Spencer had to get used to.  
The two walked in silence until suddenly Spencer stopped and stared at the smaller dog in front of him, a question wandering into his mind. He began to walk faster, catching up with William to end up next to him. he smiled at him, his tail swaying behind his body.  
''Hey William, do you have a goal in life?'', he asked and William looked back up at him, a frown on his face, like he didn't understand the question. ''I mean, have you ever heard of the dogs of Ōu? My mom used to tell me stories about them, she said they are a pack of wild dogs, living free and hunting like… like wolves!'', Spencer continued, his voice becoming louder, higher, he was truly excited about those fairytale dogs. However, William was soon going to pop his imaginary bubble of excitement and joy.  
''Listen kid, I've heard about those stories. But they're just stories, fairytales. Those dogs aren't real, Ōu isn't real. It's just a very famous bedtime story for pups.'', the pug said coldly and he looked at the blue sky before looking back at the dog next to him. ''Listen, kid, yar a yearling now. Ya should know by now those stories aren't real, live the life of an adult stray dog, or ya won't survive. Got it?''  
''So you don't believe in the stories…?'', Spencer asked, his ears pressed against his head, a sad expression in his blue eyes.

''Nah, I don't believe in those stories, they're not real, after all.'', William responded and he snorted annoyed. ''Stupid pup's stories…''  
Spencer looked at the ground, sighing in sadness. he had his tail tucked between his legs and his ears pressed against his skull as he walked, ending up behind William again who lead them through the streets.  
However, suddenly William stopped and Spencer bumped into the small dog, almost crushing him with his paws. Looking down he saw how the small curly tail of the pug raised slightly (however, this was almost impossible because of it being curly) and he frowned.  
''What's wrong, William?'', the yearling asked and he went to stand beside the smaller dog again, trying to find out what was wrong, but William looked up at him and already told him the answer.  
''There are other dogs nearby, do ya hear them? Sounds like fighting.'', the pug said and he walked towards the sound of barking and growling, Spencer quickly followed him, a bit unsure about the situation. ''Fighting often means there's a territory or food involved. If there's food, we can secretly stalk into the area and snatch away some of the meals while they're arguing about it.''  
Spencer grinned and William's words and huffed, winking at him afterwards. He said cheerfully: ''You are quite the eater, aren't you? Do you never get enough of food?''  
''Shut up, my owners spoiled me, that's why I'm so fat. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't eat so much. Guess my stomach has grown during the time I stayed with them.'', William snarled back at Spencer and the yearling chuckled, adding to his last words: ''Your stomach isn't the only thing that has grown; dang you're fat.''

He heard William huff at his words, but the dog decided to ignore him after all, making Spencer end up silent, just like William wanted him to be. The two sneaked around the corner of a street and went into an alley, off towards the sound of the fighting dogs. When they peered through a hole in a wooden fence, they saw what the arguing was about; it was indeed about food.  
Two dogs were fighting, growling at each other, biting each other, snapping at each other, drool dripping from their jaws and their eyes filled with anger and hate. It were a big Doberman dog and a Dalmatian dog, both seemed to be the leader of both a different pack. And in the middle lay the food, the reason for their arguing; it were fresh sausages from a butcher nearby, attached to each other with a string. ''Ooooh, that smells good. Spencer, go get it.'', William said and Spencer perked his ears in shock, looking at the little dog with dropped jaws.  
''What, me? Why?'', he asked and William looked back up at him, muttering: ''Because yar stupid, that's why. Now go get it.''  
''Hey! But you're smaller. You can easily sneak past them and get the sausages yourself.'', Spencer responded. However, William had a clever remark, making fun of himself by using Spencer's jokes about his weight.  
''I'm too fat to fit through this hole here, and I'm too small to jump over the fence. Ya might not fit through the hole, but yar big and light on yar paws. Now, go get 'em boy. Go fetch~''  
Spencer sighed in irritation and snorted at the little dog, nodding, but he wasn't very much agreeing with the pug beside him.  
''Fine, I will go, but I will get most of the sausages. After all I'm the biggest here, and I still need to grow~ And, I do all the work here while you sit on your butt and act lazy.'', He responded and William groaned, looking away from the yearling.

Spencer looked at the fence and took a few steps back, running towards it and resting his front paws on the top, pulling himself up and jumping over it. He landed on the other side of the wooden fence, straight in the territory of one of these two packs. He had to be careful, or else he would probably get in trouble.  
The mutt sneaky walked past the arguing dogs, hiding in their shadows as he made his way towards the sausages. When he reached them he carefully grabbed them with his teeth, pulling them from the ground and sneaking backwards, his eyes on the other dogs to make sure they didn't see him.  
However, it was too late, as one of the dogs in the area, a female Labrador, smelled him and looked his way, barking at him to alarm her fellow pack members.  
All of a sudden both packs were working together, running towards Spencer and snapping and growling at him, they lured the yearling into a corner, his hind pressing against the stone wall. On his left side were the walls of a house, on his right side was the wooden fence he had crossed not too long ago; he was stuck, with the food clamped between his jaws. The dogs got him.  
The first one to come closer to him and address him was the Doberman, his sharp teeth sparkling in the sunlight, his brown eyes filled with anger. Even though his tail had been clipped off, probably by a former owner, Spencer could see the dog had its tail raised in dominance and aggression.  
''That's our food, give it back!'', the snarled and Spencer shook his head, his eyes filled with fear. ''Give it back kid, you don't want to get hurt, right? Drop it!''

Spencer turned his head to look at the hole in the fence, seeking for help and support from his companion, but William only looked through the hole, his big amber brown colored eyes almost poking through it because they often seemed to pop out of his head. ''Drop it kid!''  
Spencer looked back at the Doberman, finally letting go off the sausages. The meat fell and hit the ground and suddenly all of the dogs just burst in on the meat, attacking each other for it. The Doberman growled angrily and snarled at the hungry dogs, biting some of them to warn them. ''STOP IT! YOU ARE ALL FOOLS! Get out of the way!''  
Pushing other dogs aside he moved closer to the meat and stepped before it, making sure the sausages were protected by his paws. He growled a few more warnings at the dogs behind him before looking at the frightened Spencer again. ''You.'', he began and Spencer swallowed, shivering all over his body. This Doberman was way bigger than him, almost two times his size; Spencer was completely terrified. ''You tried to steal this from us. Look, I know you're hungry, we're all are, but stealing is wrong, isn't it?''  
''But you stole this from the butcher, didn't you?'', Spencer responded with his clever words, looking the dog straight in the eyes. ''You say stealing is wrong, yet you stole this from the butcher. This means you're wrong… And by the way, how can we survive if we don't steal? There's no prey out here we can catch, we gotta live by stealing. Am I right?''

The Doberman was silent for a moment, a long 'hmmm' leaving his closed mouth, the rumbling hearable within his throat. His ears were now slightly lowered, same for his clipped off tail. The dog looked Spencer up and down, his brown eyes narrowed. ''Am I right, sir?''  
''You're a clever little fellow, you know that? I like you.'', the dog finally said and a short chuckle escaped his throat. ''You seem alright, and yes, you're right about that. But one thing.'' The dog continued to speak, bringing his face closer to Spencer's, his eyes narrowed once more. ''You better watch your own mouth, because one day your clever remarks might cause the end of your little life.''  
The dog lifted his head again, looking down at the cowering Spencer; the kid was acting bold, but he was still really scared. ''What's your name, kid?''  
''I'm… Spencer, sir.'', Spencer responded and the Doberman huffed, looking the kid up and down again.  
''You seem alright… Spencer. You can call me Boss, that's my name. I'm the Alpha of this pack.'', he spoke and Spencer looked around him, eyeing the dogs one by one; there had to be at least twenty dogs; it weren't two packs fighting for food, it was one pack fighting each other for it. Spencer and William were truly outnumbered.  
''I'm Spencer… and my friend is called William. He told me to go fetch the sausages.'', Spencer said, trying to sound bold. His intention was to get William into the picture as well, so that Spencer himself wouldn't be blamed for this chaos all alone. And his plan worked, because from the other side of the fence he could hear the little pug raging.  
''Hey! I told you to go fetch it yes, but not to speak your mind!'' the dog snarled, his eye popping through the hole in the fence again, followed by his whole head, but nothing more was able to be squeezed through the hole.

Boss looked the pug's way, scanning the dog's posture before he grinned and started laughing, stamping with his paws. He said loudly, addressing all his followers: ''Look over there! Look how fat he is, and so small! And you call yourself a street dog? you have a collar!''  
Before William could rage all over the Doberman dog called Boss, he was grabbed by his red collar and pulled through the hole, squeezed and crushed.  
''Ouch OUCH! Ey! Knock it off or I will knock some sense into ya, ey!'', the pug snarled as his fat body got painfully moved through the tiny hole. ''EY! STOP!''  
Boss pulled him out and dropped him on the ground. For doing this he received an angry snap at his paws. But even though there was now a small cut in the Doberman's paw, he didn't move a muscle as he looked down at the little dog.  
''You have a collar, you are no stray dog.'', he said again and William growled up at him, showing his sharp little teeth as he yelled back: ''I left my owners not too long ago, they spoiled me too much, I hated it, I wanted to get out of there, that's why I left!''  
Boss frowned, looking down at him before looking at Spencer who was still pressed into the corner, a bit frightened. His brown eyes went back to William and he snorted, grinning slightly.  
''Once a house dog, always a house dog. You will never learn what it's like to be a true street dog, a true free dog. you aren't free, you're tied to your collar, and soon enough your owners will come to get you back.'', he then responded, laughing again. William snorted and moved over to stand in front of Spencer, to protect the kid. as he stood there growling he muttered under his breath: ''No manners…''

''Boss, sir, you aren't true free dogs.'', Spencer suddenly said and Boss looked at him, frowning once more, but this time there was curiosity in his eyes.  
''What did you say? Why not?'', he asked, waiting for the yearling's response. Spencer straightened his posture and moved out from behind William, staring up at Boss. ''Why, kid?''  
''You are street dogs, you live on the streets and are therefore indeed street dogs, so are I and William, but we all survive by stealing food from humans. This makes us simple street dogs, no free dogs. Free dogs are wild and run through the woods, they hunt to survive, they don't steal. True free dogs work together, they are like wolves.''  
''He speaks nonsense! We are true free dogs! We are free and wild!'', one of the dogs said, standing behind Boss, crushed by the crowd of street dogs. But Boss didn't respond to that one dog, he simply looked down at Spencer and nodded to his words; he agreed with the kid's statement.  
''This boy is right, we are just street dogs, not wild. Wild dogs live in… the wild. We steal, wild dogs hunt like a pack of wolves. Just like the pack living in the Ōu Mountains. He's right.'', he said and Spencer's eyes widened. He moved forward to Boss, so he could look the Doberman straight in the eyes.  
''You believe in the pack of Ōu!?'', he asked, shock in his eyes, but soon enough excitement was written all over his face. Spencer wagged his tail and his tongue rolled out of his mouth, he yipped happily, cheerfully. ''How do you know about them? Tell me all about it!''

''You heard of them before, too? I guess your mother told you their legend, didn't she?'', Boss asked and Spencer nodded. William huffed annoyed, mumbling under his breath that he didn't believe those stories. Boss looked at him and shook his head, sighing. ''Look, William, right? Those stories are indeed stories, but they're based on true events. My mother told me the stories of Gin, Weed's father, when I was young. I didn't know about Weed's legend yet until I heard stories about him around a year ago. But those stories are true, all street dogs believe them, all street dogs look up to these two dogs, these two warriors. Every leader wants to become just as great as Gin was, and as Weed is now. Those stories are truly real, and you better believe them or I will make you believe them.''  
His last words sounded angry, like a snarl and William looked up shocked, taking a few steps back and hiding behind the younger, yet bigger Spencer. Spencer was still wagging his tail, happy and hoping to hear more.  
''I heard all stories about Weed, like how he lead a pack of dogs to help his farther Gin, and on the way they fought dogs of Hougen's army who had kidnapped Gin and tortured him! And how Weed fought Kaibutsu! And how in the end he attacked Hougen and let him go instead of killing the dog off, winning the battle and becoming Ōu's new Alpha!'', the yearling yipped excitedly and Boss chuckled, nodding at his words. ''But I've never heard stories about Gin before. Tell me! What did Weed's father Gin do!''  
''Oh no, we don't have time for pup's stories, kid. We need to get food. Now come and let's go, I'm hungry.'', William said, refusing to hear more of these dog's nonsense stories, but Spencer shook his head and pushed William away with his paw, looking back at Boss with big puppy-like eyes.

''Gin was born as a pet dog and trained to become a hunting dog just like his father, Riki, who is Weed's grandfather. However, one day they went on the hunt for Akakabuto, a deranged bear. Gin wanted to help but almost ended up dead, if it hadn't been for his father Riki saving his life. But saving Gin's life meant giving up his own and Riki was tossed into the deep by Akakabuto, falling off a cliff. That was the day that Riki's owner took in Gin and trained him to become a hunting dog just like his father.'', Boss began, his words echoing above the silent pack. It didn't take long before from corners of other streets more dogs appeared and listened to the Doberman's story about the great former leader of Ōu. ''Gin lived with Riki's owner for several months, but stayed Daisuke's true pet all that time. It didn't take long however, that he left his owner to join a group of stray dogs. These dogs were all brought together to fight against the bear called Akakabuto and Gin felt himself called towards these dogs because his father had been killed by the deranged bear. Upon joining him he found out the pack's leader was his own father, Riki, but the dog had completely lost his memory and didn't remember a single thing about his son. This didn't stop Gin from fighting against this bear, however, because on his way to recruit new members for the battle, a made friends and earned their trust, turning enemies into friends as well and forming a great army of wild dogs to fight off the bear. Even pet dogs left their owner's side to join the wild dogs and fight alongside them.''  
Spencer listened curiously, his ears perked, his tail that had been thumping against the ground was now completely silent, laying behind hid body in the dirt.  
''Then the day came the war begun, and the army of dogs fought against Akakabuto and his minions. It was a long and hard fight and several strong dogs died, even some dogs Gin had been great friends with. In the end Riki got back his memories about his son and his past life as a hunting dog, and attacked the bear in order to save his pack, but he got badly wounded. Gin attacked Akakabuto and killed the bear, saving his father, but it was already too late, for his father a few minutes later died of blood loss. But during those last few minutes alive, he told his son he was proud of him, and announced to his pack that Gin was the new leader of Ōu from that day on.''

It was silent for a moment and Boss sat down, clearing his throat. He then looked down at Spencer again, smiling. ''And that's the story about Gin, from there on you know everything else, because the legend continued on with his son, Weed. Both dogs are great leaders, true wild and free dogs.'', he said, looking at the sky, sighing. ''If only I could meet them one day. That would be a childhood wish coming true. It's still a dream of mine to finally meet them, though.''  
''Then why don't you go meet them?'', a sudden voice came from behind, it sounded old and the voice cracked a bit. The dogs that had gathered around Boss to listen to his story about Gin, now turned their head to look at the one who had spoken; it was an old dog, with a long grey coat and floppy ears, his eyes were a bright blue and full of life, even though his body looked like it could collapse every minute. ''The Ōu Mountains are a week traveling from here, go up the hills into the woods and you will find the pack in the mountains. I've been there, I've met Gin just after Weed's birth, but he didn't know yet that Weed was born at that moment. I've seen the fights, I was there, and these stories are indeed real.''  
''Go home old man, no one believes ya.'', William responded, but he quickly got pushed away by Spencer again, who got up and moved over to the old dog, his tail wagging once more.  
''We can meet them?'', he asked and the old dog nodded smiling weakly. He said to the yearling: ''Of course you can. The pack is big and healthy, there's always a spot for a few more if they want to stay there and become wild dogs.''

''What's your name? You say you were a part of the true Ōu pack?'', Boss asked, getting up and turning around to face the older dog. Now William stood beside him, moving closer, trying to hear what was going on and what was happening. The dog looked Boss' way, simply nodding his head.  
''Yes, I was a part of Ōu before I left to die alone. You see, I'm an old dog, I've lived for thirteen years, and I probably won't last long… I'm Weston, an Irish wolfhound. At your service.''  
''Weston,'' Boss began, stepping forward to meet the dog. They were both the same size, so the dogs could look straight ahead and see each other's eyes. ''It has always been a dream of mine… and I know you are probably not planning on returning there after leaving but… are you willing to guide us to their place?''  
Spencer looked shocked up at Boss and he nodded eagerly as he started to jump up and down, his tail swaying behind his body. This had been a dream of his, too, meeting the two Alpha's of Ōu. He hoped if Weston would say yes, he hoped they could really meet Gin and Weed.  
''Well um… I indeed hadn't planned a visit to the pack, no. But if you really wish to meet them and probably stay there, then I will be your guide. Are you all good at hunting? If not, then maybe I can teach you some skills. I've got old bones, but I still know a few hunting tricks.'', the old dog said and he laughed, winking at the younger dogs around him. ''Well, what do you say?''  
''You are rather…. Easy about this subject. How come? I mean, don't you have to tell us the road ahead of us is dangerous?'', Boss asked, looking at Weston with narrowed eyes, but the Irish wolfhound only smiled at him, chuckling and nodding.

''Well yes, it is dangerous, but even though I'm old, I still like a challenge myself. Better die young while you've lived than die old while you've been sitting lazily on your hind all you life, right? And I've know the Alphas, they are great dogs, they are my friends, my family.'', Weston responded, his mind seemed to be somewhere else as he spoke that last sentence. However, he quickly looked up at Boss again, nodding his head as he continued to speak. ''Ōu is not a dangerous pack, they are kind, caring, they respect and protect each other; everyone's family. They won't chase you off if you meet them, they will accept you.''  
''So you can really take us there?'', Spencer asked and Weston nodded again, smiling brightly at the yearling who stood next to Boss. Then his eyes went to the small pug, his tail wagged as he eyed the three one by one.  
''Yes I can. It's a dangerous road but it's a fun challenge; it makes you a true wild dog like I used to be before I grew too old. I can be your guide if you wish to meet the Ōu members and join them. Tell me what you want, if yes, then I can bring you there as soon as you are willing to leave.''  
''I want to come, I want to come! I wanna meet Weed! And Gin!'', Spencer said happily and he looked at William, wagging his tail like crazy. ''Will, come, come with me! You will come too, right?'', he asked and he grabbed William by his red collar, pulling him up and shaking him around.  
''It's William! And yes, yes! But only if you put me down!'', the pug snarled back at him, kicking with his hind paws. Boss laughed and looked at Weston, nodding, telling the older dog he would come, too.  
''Then it's set, we will leave as soon as you are able to. Whoever wants to join in, meet me tomorrow in this alley. We will go on a great adventure.'', Weston said and he winked the three dogs in front of him before turning around and walking off. Spencer looked at the older dog as he put down William, who growled at him and snapped at his muzzle. Spencer didn't mind William being so mean, though, because he couldn't get this excited smile off his face.


	4. Chapter 3

''Hurry up, you're so slow.'', Spencer said as he padded along the road, avoiding humans as they yelled at him and tried to kick him. Spencer didn't really bother though; he had gotten used about humans hating stray dogs, these humans were no difference.  
Looking behind him he stopped, waiting for William to catch up on him. When the pug finally arrived beside him it collapsed onto the ground and panted loudly, it's fat belly resting on the cold stone. He looked up at Spencer and there was a nervous look on his face, like he wanted to ask the yearling something that he was ashamed of, that would make him appear vulnerable.  
''C-can ya carry me, kid? I can't take long walks like these…'', he asked, his brown eyes focused on the ground, a dull look in them; he really was ashamed of himself for asking this.  
Spencer smiled and wagged his tail, turning around so he had a much more clear view of William. He nodded as he stepped forward, lowering his head so his and William's eyes were on the same level, the smile stayed on his face as he looked at the pug.  
''Of course I will carry you. Why do you have to make such a big deal of this? Everyone already knows you're fat, admit it.'', he said and he grabbed William's collar, pulling him up, while William angrily kicked and squirmed to his last words, growling at the German shepherd mix.  
''Ya little-'', he began but his words were cut off by the voices of other dogs not too far away from the duo. Spencer looked up, his teeth clamped around the red collar. ''Are those the dogs that are going to meet Ōu?'', William asked and he looked up at Spencer, who look back down at him.  
Spencer began to walk taking along William as he moved forward. They avoided the humans on the busy sidewalk as they made their way towards the alley where the voices came from.

Upon reaching the alley William and Spencer saw two familiar dogs; Boss, the Doberman dog and the leader of this big dog pack and the older Irish wolfhound called Weston. There were two more dogs with them; a golden coated Labrador retriever with brown eyes and a brown with white coated Shiba Inu, his eyes a grey color with hints of brown.  
The four dogs were talking and looked up at Spencer and William when they came around the corner, William dangling from his collar which Spencer held between his teeth firmly. The two stopped next to Weston, the older dog, a few feet away from the Labrador retriever and the Shiba Inu.  
Spencer dropped William so the pug could move freely and they glanced around the area; there were only six dogs here, with them both included; Spencer frowned and looked at Weston.  
''Are these all the dogs that are coming?'', Spencer asked and Weston looked at him, shrugging for as far as he could do that. Spencer looked at Boss, a frown on his face. ''Your pack is big, why isn't anyone coming?''  
''My pack is afraid; some are afraid they might die during the trip, others don't want to become truly wild because we've never hunted before. We are street dogs, we live from the food humans leave behind. And other didn't believe the legend of Gin and Weed.'', Boss spoke before turning his head to look at the Labrador Retriever and the Shiba Inu. ''These are the only two of my pack who were curious or brave enough to come.''  
Spencer looked at the two dogs he hadn't met before. He could slightly remember their faces from the previous day, and their scents, but they were faint in his memory.

''It's nice to meet you, I'm Spencer.'', the yearling said and he looked down at the pug beside him, grinning. ''And this is William; he's a fat spoiled pug.''  
''Shut up ya little mutt! I know I'm fat, and I know I was spoiled, so stop telling everyone; they can tell!'', William responded, a growl leaving his throat.  
''We know, we heard you introducing yourself yesterday. I'm Sheba,'' the Shiba Inu said, he was a small dog, only a little bit bigger than William. He looked up at the Labrador retriever standing beside this, his curled tail that rested on his back wagging slightly. ''And this is Sam, my best friend.''  
''Samuel, nice to meet you. But call me Sam.'', Sam responded, a wag of his tail, but there was no expression on his face. It almost looked like his brown eyes stared right through Spencer and William.  
''Don't mind Sam; he's a shy one.'', Sheba said and he grinned, winking, immediately after that receiving a push from Sam as punishment.  
''If this is all, I think we should go.'', Boss finally said, looking around the area to see if anyone else was coming. ''Guess we're with the six of us. Weston, are you ready to go?''  
''I guess so. Let's head out before it gets dark. It's still morning but when you travel it gets dark soon…'', Weston said and he got to his paws, eyeing each and every one of them before turning around and walking out of the alley. ''I will be your guide to the Ōu Mountains and the pack itself. It will be along and dangerous journey, but I'm sure we will all make it. Heck, even Weed made it to the pack on his search for his father and he was only a few months old; heck, he was still a pup. But even though I'm your guide, I won't be your leader. You have to assign a leader yourself, as I'm old and wise, but have no leader experience.''  
''I will do it Weston, buddy. I'm a leader myself, I have lost of leading experience.'', Boss said and Weston looked at him, a playful grin on his face. He responded to the Doberman: ''Enough leadership to get all your followers to come along?''

''Yes, very funny… I will still lead, though.'', Boss said with a harsh tone in his voice, annoyed as he was. He walked a bit faster and ended up beside Weston; the guide and the leader in the front, while the others followed behind. Sam and Sheba were the second in line, walking close behind Boss and Weston, mainly because they belonged to Boss' pack and were still his followers. Spencer and William walked third in line, in the back as they both didn't know these dogs very well, and because William had a hard time keeping up with the bigger digs due his fat body and short legs.  
Spencer looked down at him, smiling as his tail swayed behind his body calmly.  
''Need me to carry you, big boy?'', he asked teasingly and William growled at him once more, sticking his tongue out at the yearling, but after that his expression softened and he nodded, once again blushing slightly.  
''Yes please, that would be helpful. I can't keep up with y'all, yar too fast.'', the pug said and Spencer giggled, bending over to grab William by his collar, pulling up the small pug like he did before. ''Thanks.'', William responded to him being lifted off the ground, his voice harsh, his words blunt, but Spencer didn't bother about the way he spoke to him; he knew William was grateful, he was just a really grumpy and spoiled dog, afraid to show others how he really felt. And even though they teased each other a lot, Spencer was glad he had met William; the dog was a great companion and even though he was grumpy and fat, he kept Spencer in reality, kept the kid's head out of the clouds. And in return Spencer told him stories about Weed and Gin and learned him to have fun and behave like a pup. They had a great time together, and that fun time would be extended from this day on, because Spencer knew they would both need each other on this journey.


	5. Chapter 4

The pack of six dogs ran through the fields, the city of humans was already long behind them now that they entered the hills towards the mountains. Boss ran on the front, followed by the old Weston. Behind Weston Sam and Sheba ran, and Spencer was in the very back, carrying William by his red collar. The six dogs stopped near a river, ready to take a rest and a drink. Spencer walked over to the water's edge and dropped William, on the ground carefully , laying down and panting from the long run. William went over to the water to drink, a grumpy expression on his face like always.  
Boss looked up at the blue sky, staring at the mountain tops ahead of them. He seemed to be daydreaming, dazed, his eyes staring off into the distance, and he mumbled: ''We've already gotten pretty far in only one day. I'm sure we can reach the mountains in three days if we keep up this speed.''  
''Don't get too excited now, Boss.'', Weston spoke, stepping up to stand beside the big Doberman dog. He looked at the male, a worried expression on his face, his blue eyes dull; he was tired from their travel. ''It will get harder to get up there. A lot of dogs underestimate the travel at first, but we've only just reached the feet of the hills, the mountains are far way up. And dangers lurk about, no one can deny that.''  
''What kind of dangers?'', Sam asked, standing behind the two dogs, this was the first time he spoke since the moment he had introduced himself to Spencer and William. Sam wasn't really one to speak, but when he spoke his words made sense.  
''Dangers like bears and snakes, and of course there are other dog packs we should worry about; dog packs that dislike the Ōu army. There have been many troubles for Ōu throughout these years. Right now there is peace, but I'm sure that soon enough a new pack of wild dogs will step up to try and take over Ōu's territory…'', Weston said. His words faded as he followed Boss' eyes up towards the mountain tops. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, like he was willing to tell more, yet it was hard for him to find the right words to explain with. ''…And there are wolves.''

''Wolves? Didn't they get extinct long ago in Japan?'', Sheba now asked, laying near the water's edge and lifting his head to look at Weston. He had stopped panting, but by looking at his face you could tell he was still rather tired.  
Spencer looked their way and then at William, who tilted his head to the side to form a confused expression, looking back at te yearling. The kid got to his paws, still panting a bit, and moved closer to the adult dogs.  
''No boy, that's what they want you to believe. Even the humans believe it, but I know the truth. Wolves still exist; their packs hide in the darkest parts of the forest, they spy on dogs passing by, and hunting the wild boar and deer in utter secret. They are our ancestors, they even fought alongside Ōu's army once, but they remain a different species and solitude. Wolves are strong and proud beings, they see the dog as a human's companion, even wild dogs appear useless in their eyes.'', Weston explained, he turned his head to look at Spencer, who stared back at him with confusion yet interest. ''Not many dogs know what wolves look like, but they appear rather… similar to our Spencer here; they are like German shepherd, all kinds of shepherd dogs, actually, but they are much larger in size, and their eyes vary from yellow to amber and brown to golden. They are solitude and often hide themselves from view, but they can get dangerous if we decide to cross their path. They don't like trespassers in their territory.''  
''They are dangerous?'', William asked, now scooting closer to the group as well. Weston shook his head, looking at the small pug.  
''They're not dangerous, actually. They just don't see dogs as their family and can come off dominant over their territory. They have their pride and don't actually tend on helping dogs, whether they are wild or lap dogs. Let's just say… that they can be quite arrogant.''  
''So they think better of themselves, because they've been wild ever since their species began to exist?'', Sheba asked and Weston now turned his head to look at Sheba, once again shaking his head.  
''Well, sort of, but they're not exactly different species. As I said earlier they are our ancestors. They keep denying that we are the same because of their pride and arrogance and like to think of themselves as pure, while we are considered mutts in their eyes.''

''You're not very nice about them…'', Spencer mumbled and Weston sighed, looking at the ground. He mumbled to the younger dog: ''Well, it's the truth. And everyone knows it.''  
''How are you so sure they see us as mutts and useless creatures? If they are our ancestors, aren't they just as loyal to each other as we are to our own kind?'', Spencer asked and the others looked at him with a confused look on their faces. Spencer began to feel rather irritated with their rude behavior, their mean words about the wolves. ''We are the same kind, so we must be the same in some way. Why speak evil about them if you don't know them that very well? They might be hiding in the shadows, but they aren't that bad, are they? You said they fought alongside Ōu's army once, that must mean something.''  
''We aren't the same. All that's the same are our looks, but even most dogs appear a lot different than wolves. If you would put a wolf and, for example, me next to each other, you will see that I don't look like a wolf at all. And yes, they fought alongside Ōu's army once, but that was only once, and it was because both Ōu and this wolf pack had the same enemy that tried to take over both their territories. And the only way to fight off this enemy was to work together.''  
''What kind of enemy?'', Spencer asked, feeling really agitated at the moment, but Weston ignored his question and looked back up at the sky, several clouds had started to appear and come closer.  
''We still have a long way ahead. We should continue our journey and rest again when night has arrived. Let's go, Boss.''

''Yes, we will leave now, let's go!'', Boss said and the pack of dogs began to run again, leaving Spencer and William standing there. William looked up at Spencer, growling at him and he complained: ''Well, ya wanted to go to Ōu and I'm with ya here, so ya better get off yar butt and carry me. C'mon, don't stand there.''  
''But they fought alongside Ōu's army… and I thought… Didn't one of the leaders of Ōu once learn a very important trick from a wolf? Why didn't they tell me anything about that? Only my mother once told me that was true, others denied it…''  
''Because yar mother had a very great imagination. Dogs and wolves are different, they don't like each other. Just get over it now and carry me, or we might lose them out of sight! Come on Spencer!'', William said angry and he pushed with his head against Spencer's front paw, like he was trying to get the younger dog into moving.  
Spencer looked at him and sighed, a sad look in his blue eyes. ''I guess you're right… Let's go…'', he mumbled and he grabbed William by his collar, picking him up and carrying him along again. He ran as fast as he could, following the dogs' paw prints in the sand until they appeared in his view again. As he caught up with the other dogs he looked up at the hills where the tree line of the forest began; he felt like they were being watched by something, or maybe it was someone…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was night when Spencer laid asleep near the river. They had followed it all day and the kid was just worn out, curled up into a nice deep sleep, his big fluffy tail covering little fat William who was snoring, an issue caused by his small stump muzzle.  
Not far away from the two stood Boss, Weston, Sheba and Sam talking. They were whispering, like they were trying to keep the two dogs asleep, like they were trying to keep whatever they were telling each other a secret.  
''We can't leave them behind.'', Boss whispered, looking at Sam with an angry look in his brown eyes. ''Spencer's just a kid, he can't hunt at all, at least, worse than us adult dogs. And William is a pug; he's too small to be a wild dog, and he will be the one to get the most in danger if we decide to bail on them. Where is your head, Samuel…!?''  
''Well, I'm sorry but these two keep us up most of the time. We could have already passed the hills and be up in the mountains by now.'', Sam said and he looked at Weston. ''And like Weston said earlier this morning; Spencer looks a lot like… a wolf. He even protected the species by debating with Weston about them. It's like he chooses their side.''  
''I don't care; he's a dog like all of us and he's a child, we can't leave them behind.'', Boss responded, a soft snarl leaving his throat, but it was loud enough to startle Sam who backed off slightly. ''They will stay with us, and they will meet the leader of Ōu, just like they wished for.'', Boss continued his speech. ''Weston, you said he looks like a wolf, but he's a dog just like us. Every German might look like a wolf, but we all know they're not. And why worry about him defending wolves? He's a sweet kid who sees good in everyone. Why does he defend the wolves? Because he has never seen or met one before. Do you understand now, Samuel?''

''Alright fine… he will stay…'', Sam mumbled in defeat. However, his brown eyes turned deadly serious when he looked back up at Boss. ''But don't forget; have you smelled it, too? have you noticed Spencer doesn't have a true dog's scent? There's a strange mix in it. What if he belongs to the wolf family? Not that he does, but what _if_? We can't take any risks now, can we?''  
''Your point is?'', Weston asked Sam, frowning at his words. That's when Boss growled loudly and stepped between them, standing high above the cowered Sam.  
''Your words make no sense, fool!'', he snarled. He stopped speaking for a moment, his ears perked to make sure Spencer hadn't woken up to hear them argue, nor William. He didn't want them to find out what they were fighting over. ''Spencer is a dog just like us. He smells like a dog, he behaves like a dog and he looks like a dog. There's no way to treat him like the enemy when you're not sure if he's actually the enemy. You keep your filthy mouth shut about that kid, and treat him with respect, like you would treat Sheba, got it? Until we don't have proof that he's part of the wolves, Spencer will be a dog. And whether he defends them or not, he's a good kid and he will still be a _dog_. Now shut up and let this fight rest. Get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.''  
''I agree with Boss, we should all sleep, rest.'', Weston said and Sam and Sheba nodded, turning around and curling up somewhere beside each other, but there was a huge distance between them and Spencer and William; they didn't trust the German shepherd mix, that was for sure. Weston looked at Boss and sighed. ''You better know what you're doing, Boss… It seems like you're growing quite a like towards that boy, aren't you?''  
''Whatever I'm doing is none of your business, Weston. You might have been part of the biggest dog pack in whole Japan but now I'm the boss, like my name says, and you are under my command until we reach Ōu. And once we're there we will see what Ōu thinks of this kid, got it?''  
''Fine… I guess you're right about that.'', Weston said and he suddenly smiled at Boss, turning away from him and moving towards a place where he could sleep. ''Well, goodnight, Boss.''

''Idiots…'', Boss mumbled and suddenly his ears perked, he moved his head to look at Spencer, who was blinking sleepily and looking his way. Afraid that the yearling had heard their conversation he pressed his ears against his skull. ''Kid…''  
''Hey Boss…'', Spencer said and he yawned loudly, lifting his head to get a better view of the Doberman. ''What's up? Why aren't you asleep? Are you alright?''  
''I'm… fine. How long have you been awake?'', Boss asked and Spencer responded but a soft ''just now'', causing Boss to sigh in relief; he hadn't heard their conversation at all, he had been fast asleep all that time. ''Good kid, very good. Now go back to sleep, we will have to get up tomorrow rather early, so you're gonna need all the rest you take right now.''  
''Okay Boss, goodnight…'', Spencer said sleepily and he yawned again, resting his head on hid paws and closing his eyes.  
''Goodnight Spencer, I'm going to sleep right now, too…'', Boss mumbled and he turned around a few times before laying down and looking up at the black sky with its little bright lights; there was no moon tonight. ''Oh Spencer, what did you get yourself into? Why did you defend those wolves…?'', he whispered and he stared at his own paws, a worried look in his eyes. ''Please great Riki, give Spencer strength and courage for this journey. I know he deserves to live in Ōu; he's just like Weed and Gin are, rather mature for their age and a heart of gold. He will learn the way of a wild dog, probably even sooner than I will…''


	6. Chapter 5

It was a beautiful sunny day in the middle of summer; the sky was bright blue, and there was almost no single cloud in the sky, the sun stood high and shone bright, a bit too bright. The pack of dogs walked on the sandy path, the forest on their left and the sun shining in their faces. Their tongues were hanging from their mouth and their heads were lowered; they were tired and thirsty, it was too hot to run. The dogs moved closer to the trees so they could seek shelter in the shadows, where it would be cooler.  
The hills were becoming higher and higher; they would probably soon reach the mountains' feet; Ōu was beyond the big mountains up ahead, but reaching those mountains and crossing them would probably take a few more days of traveling. Down the hill they were walking was a small village, a place of humans. A place wild dogs would prefer to avoid; not Spencer.  
''Oh look, a village! Maybe they have water, and food!'', the yearling said happily and his tail that had been tucked between his legs moved up and wagged happily. He shot out of the shadows and ran down the hill, his tongue hanging out and flying back by the speed of the wind crashing into his face, but his eyes stayed wide open, because he was actually glad to see a human's place.  
''Spencer, no!'', Weston barked, a shocked look in his blue eyes. He went after the boy, jumping down the hill and almost stumbling due his old bones. ''We can't trust every human we come across! They're not all the same!''

''Spencer, get back here!'', Boss yelled, keeping his head high so he had a clear view on the two dogs running off. His attention was caught by the cough of someone else and he looked down to see a grumpy William beside him, growling as he looked up at the bigger dog.  
''If ya want 'em back, go get 'em, man!'', he snarled and Boss huffed, mumbling a soft irritated ''fine'' before storming off the hill as well. Sam, Sheba and William stayed behind, watching them with concern.  
''Shouldn't we go after them?'', Sheba asked and Sam shook his head, sitting down and watching the scene in silence, he almost seemed at ease, even though their guide and leader were gone. ''William? What do you say?''  
''Guess we stay here.'', William began, his short curly tail resting on his back. He turned his head to look at Sheba, a grumpy expression like always. ''Spencer gets in lots of troubles, but I'm sure he'll be fine. Boss and Weston will bring him back if things get bad. We stay here so they can find us back when they've retrieved Spencer.''  
''I say we should go, we don't need them. We're fine on our own.'', Sam said and Sheba and even William looked shocked at him, William immediately began to growl after, baring his teeth he snarled: ''Ya idiot! Ya think ya can survive without guidance? Shut up and stay still because if ya don't I will come and kill ya! I'm serious! Stay still!''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''Spencer! Stop! Get back here!'', Boss yelled; he now ran in front of Weston, who already began to tire down from the run. The old man wasn't made for such long travels anymore, and Spencer's stupidity made everything way worse. ''Spencer! Stop it right there!''  
Spencer didn't listen, he kept on running, his blue eyes glistering, sparkling with happiness. He turned his head to look at Boss and the old man and he smiled, but he didn't stop running.  
''We can find food and water here, aren't you excited?'', he asked and he giggled and cheered, running into the village and past a corner into a different street. The roads were silent, there was no single person on the streets. No one was outside, it seemed. It made Boss and Weston feel quite uneasy, but Spencer didn't seem to care.  
The yearling ran through the streets, happily and cheerfully and he wasn't going to stop. His nose was held high in the air to pick up any scents, and the wind brought along the scent of fresh meat. It wasn't butcher's meat, but it was foods. Spencer looked behind him again to see if Weston and Boss were still there, but not long ago they had lost sight of Spencer, so now the kid was on his own.

Suddenly he felt himself being hold back, bumping into something, or someone. Spencer fell to the ground and groaned, his eyes closed firmly as he laid there for a few seconds. Feeling a bit dazed he opened his eyes had but had no clear view yet; everything around him was blurry. Getting to his paws slowly and carefully the first thing he did was sneeze, before his clear view returned. Looking up he stared right into the green eyes of a dog, a blueish-grey coated Akita Inu, with a white chest, belly and legs.  
He was around Spencer's age, around a year old. Spencer looked confused at him and blinked a few times, looking him up and down. The Akita Inu did the same, taking a few steps back as he watched Spencer.  
''A-are you Weed…?'', Spencer asked. He knew Weed, the new leader of Ōu, was an Akita, and that he had the same coat colors as this dog in front of him. Yet, he wasn't actually sure if this was Weed, because this Akita Inu had green eyes, and he wasn't a tora-ge; a tiger striped dog. But then again, maybe those stories about the wolf tora-ge dogs had been lies or just stories.  
The dog looked confused, tilting his head to the side as he stared at the German shepherd, and he slowly shook his head.  
''Um no… my name is Benji.'', he said, there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. But he soon wagged his fluffy curled tail slightly, smiling weakly at Spencer. ''But I've heard I'm family of him; my dad told me I'm the great grandson of Riki, Weed's grandfather. Not sure if the stories are true, though…''

''Benji huh? Family of Weed?'', Spencer asked, a bit sad at first that he hadn't met the actual true Weed, but his expression soon lost its gloominess as he looked the yearling a bit closer. ''You look a lot like him, I think.'', he side, wagging his tail as a response to Benji's wagging. ''You are no tora-ge but I heard the stories, so I must say your coat looks a lot like him. Have you ever met him before?''  
''No… I wish I had, though. I really wanna know if it's true that I'm some sort of nephew of his. Even though we've lived pretty far apart from each other.'', Benji said and his ears perked, he looked behind him for a moment, then looked back at Spencer, his glad face had turned into a worried one in only one second. ''Why are you here? You should turn back to the forest. It's… quite dangerous out here.''  
''What do you mean?'', Spencer asked and Benji walked up to him, suddenly pushing him back with his head, his muzzle buried in the German shepherd's chest. ''Benji, what are you doing? Stop that!''  
''Shhh, you should get out of here. A pack of dogs live here, they're not very friendly. You should leave…''  
''I thought you would have been glad to meet a new dog. You look like you're the only yearling around here.'', Spencer said quite confused, but soon he smiled again and even started grinning, pawing at the Akita Inu. ''Let's play tag, you're it!''  
Benji began to growl at him and pushed him hard, forcing Spencer to the ground. Then he moved on top of the German shepherd, he had his teeth bared at him and stared down at him angrily. ''W-what are you doing? Benji?''  
''You're not safe here! Get out!'', Benji snarled at him. ''We can't play games! I can't become a kid again! I've grown up and moved on! Now get lost before they come and hurt you!''  
''Who?'', Spencer asked, not moving a single muscle as he laid there, staring up in shock and confusion. Suddenly the Akita Inu perked his ears and his head jerked back, he stared off into the darkness of the alley. ''Benji…?''  
''They're here, get lost, now!'', Benji suddenly snarled and he jumped off Spencer, grabbing the dog by his scruff and pulling him up, after which he started pushing him in the opposite direction again. ''Go, please!''

''Spencer! What's going on?'', suddenly the voice of Boss filled the ear and Spencer looked behind him to see Boss entering the alley, Weston was behind him and came to a stop, panting heavily, his head lowered; drool dripped from his tongue, his blue eyes were filled with exhaustion. ''Never run off again!''  
Boss was furious, he grabbed Spencer by his neck and pulled him away from Benji, throwing him at Weston who jumped in front of the kid and growled at the terrified Akita Inu. ''Now, who is this?''  
''Please sir, you gotta get out of here… you're in danger…'', Benji whimpered, his voice hoarse, his green eyes filled with tears.  
''Why? What's going on?'', Boss asked, confused, but he suddenly perked his head as the sound of growling and angry barking filled up the alley. Lots of dogs appeared, ran towards Benji, and ended up in front of him like they were trying to protect him, but their eyes were filled with aggression, foam and drool dropping from their jaws, splashing into Boss' face.  
''Who are you and what are you doing here!? Go away before we tear you apart!'', one of the dogs yelled, a dog standing in the very front; an Akita Inu just like Benji, but his main coat color was a red color and his eyes were brown. There was blood on his muzzle and he smelled like death; the fresh meat Spencer had scented before.  
The yearling swallowed and took a few steps back, his ears pressed against his skull, his blue eyes filled with sadness and worry. ''B-Benji… who are these…?'', he asked, shaking his head slowly; he didn't want to believe Benji belonged with these monsters, whatever they were; they indeed seemed dangerous.

''They are… my pack.'', Benji whispered, he looked extremely sad and terrified. Boss growled loudly, stepping closer, his teeth now bared as well, he stared right into the older Akita's eyes, the red coated one.  
''Why are you so hostile!? What did we ever do to you!? We're not here to take over your territory if you think that is! We just came to retrieve this idiot who thought he could just run off!'', he snarled and he glanced at Spencer, for only a second, before looking back at the red coated Akita, and then his eyes went to Benji, slowly; they were narrowed. ''What kind of monsters are these…?''  
Benji closed his eyes and shook his head, tears streaming down his face, he took a step back and his curly tail ended up steep between his legs.  
''I warned you… I warned you, you should leave…'', he whispered. It was like he wanted to scream it all out, like he wanted to run away, but his whole body shivered massively and he just stood there stiff, crying.  
''If you're afraid of them, why are you with them!?'', Boss forced again, growling loudly. Benji looked afraid up at Boss, then his eyes darted to the older dog standing beside him, the other Akita Inu.  
''I… I can't…'', he mumbled as he looked up, the other Akita staring down at him, growling aggressively. ''F-father… please…''  
''Your father!?'', Boss asked and he looked at the red coated dog, stepping even closer till their noses touched. Both stared each other in the eyes, angrily, furious. ''Why do you let this mutt treat you like this, hmm? You obviously seem scared of your own old man, why is that?''  
''They eat… dogs…'', Benji whispered, his sobbing became louder. ''And they make me eat them, too…!''  
Spencer perked his ears, shocked. That's why Benji was scared of his own packs, that's why he wanted Spencer to leave; they were their prey, even though they were dogs themselves. They were cannibals, and Benji hated that fact. That was the smell of meat, the scent of death; it was the scent of a recently killed… dog.

''Cannibals or not, I will not back down from a fight! You hear me!?'', Boss yelled and he growled loudly at the adult Akita Inu, taking another step forward. ''I'm not afraid of you!''  
''If you want it that way, then fine; let's fight, you fool!'', the Akita Inu responded and Boss nodded, an angry look on his face. He turned his head to look at Spencer and Weston, his brown eyes telling them to leave, to flee. In response Weston grabbed Spencer by his tail, pulling him along, away from the scene. His blue eyes held worry towards the big Doberman dog; he was big and strong, and had been raised as a fighting dog, but he was truly outnumbered by this pack of at least seven dogs.  
''We can't leave him, we gotta fight, too!'', Spencer yelped, trying to get free from Weston's grip, but even though the Irish wolfhound was old, he still was pretty strong for his age and his old bones. ''Weston, please! At least take Benji along!''  
Weston let go of Spencer's tail, staring at him in confusion. He stepped up beside the yearling, staring at the small Akita Inu that stood there shivering beside his so called father, watching Boss and the adult Akita growl at each other. Soon a fight would start, and if Benji didn't get out of there he could get crushed between a fierce Doberman and a pack of cannibalistic dogs. He had no choice but to get out of there, even though he probably was too afraid to leave.

''We really can't leave him here!'', Spencer yelled again and he ran towards the group of dogs, Weston screamed behind him, out of fear, but the old dog didn't move; his paws were frozen in shock. The German shepherd jumped in between the nine dogs and reached for Benji's neck, grabbing him by his scruff and pulling him away from the others. Benji was strong and just like Weston frozen, but he was frozen in fear, his limbs stiff, he was almost unable to be moved. ''Come on Benji, you can't give in now, let's get out of here…!'', Spencer muttered through the thick bite of blue-greyish fur, pulling with all his might.  
As soon as Benji was away from all the bloodthirsty dogs, Weston began to move again and jumped in, helping Spencer with getting the yearling out of the alley. The three dogs ran away, while Boss stayed behind on his own. The Doberman looked one last time behind him to see them flee around the corner, before turning his head to look at the seven angry dogs, and he simply ran towards them, jumping up and lunging at them, his teeth bared. He screamed, but it wasn't a scream of fear; it was a scream of war, a scream of braveness. Boss had fought all his life, he wasn't going to back off now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The old dog and the two yearlings ran through the streets. A few men were there, but they didn't worry about the humans right now; they had greater things on their mind. As the three tried to find their way out of the small village, they came across a few of the dogs, two that had scattered from the rest to take care of the three feeling canines.  
''Going somewhere?'', one of the dogs said grinningly, a big massive Rottweiler dog with sharp white teeth. Drool dripped from his jaws as he stood there with his companion, a white coated English Setter mix with brown and black markings.  
Weston growled as he took a few steps back, and Spencer followed his lead, his ears pressed against his head as he held Benji's tail tight, who stood in front of them. The poor kid was shocked, panicking; his ears were pressed against his skull and his body cowered, he whimpered. If Spencer didn't hold on to his normally curled tail, it would probably have been there tucked between his legs. ''Stay here, now!''  
''Come on boys! This way! We gotta find a way out!'', Weston yelled and he turned around, running down the street. Spencer nodded and turned around as well, pulling Benji's tail firmly so the small Akita Inu would start moving again. The three ran the other way, the Rottweiler and the English Setter mix going after them. Boss' battle cries could be heard from the alley they had left not too long ago, as well as painful screams from several dogs; it seemed like Boss would be fine. After all Spencer could remember him telling stories about himself how he brought down a Bullmastiff in the fighting ring once, on his very own. It wasn't all about strength, you had to have speed and tactics to finally win a battle, Boss had taught Spencer. Why fight if you could bring down others without using too much strength?

''Stop right there!'', the Rottweiler yelled again, the other dog running after him. ''Right now!''  
''Never! Ōu's soldiers, no matter they are still part of the army or retired, will never give in without a fight!'', Weston yelled, storming off. The English Setter now spoke, his voice high pitched but angry, through his vocals there was a growl heard. ''If you are an Ōu soldier, then why aren't you fighting, huh? Fight us, you coward!''  
''No, I'm not ordered to fight, I was ordered to something different…'', Weston mumbled, something two dogs that chased them would never hear. He glanced at Spencer and Benji, smiling weakly at the kids, a sparkle of happiness and braveness in his dull eyes. ''I was ordered to protect the weak and bring them to safety, those who couldn't fight or hunt for themselves. I never fought, I only fled, using my speed.''  
Spencer looked up at Weston, his blue eyes filled with amazement; it was amazing that Weston was a part of the Ōu army, or at least, that he used to be. And that he had never fought before didn't matter to the German shepherd; he had been part of Ōu, there was no honor greater than that, in Spencer's eyes, at least. All dogs of Ōu were his heroes.

The three moved through the streets, the two bigger and fiercer dogs getting closer to them, but they would never give in to this horrible pack of dogs, that was for sure. If they needed to, Spencer would fight, and he would fight hard, for Ōu and his army.  
He looked at Benji who seemed rather off with his mind, as they ran alongside each other Spencer nudged him, trying to catch his attention. Benji lifted his head, his green eyes meeting those blue ones of Spencer. They held nothing but sadness and fear, and he opened his mouth to speak, his words soft and filled with grief.  
''Why do you care… about me? I'm part of this pack, why are you taking me with you…?'', he asked and Spencer smiled at him, trying to give him hope. His and Weston's eyes met for a second, Weston nodding at him with a bright father-like smile, like he was encouraging him to say something that would make Benji feel better.  
The young German shepherd looked back at Benji, the smile still on his face as he answered the frightened kid's question.  
''Because you don't belong with them; that leader might be your father but it's sure that you two both have different thoughts about the same things. He's a cannibal, you despise eating your own kind. Even if you keep telling yourself you belong with them, you don't. If you come with us, you can live free, and you will never have to eat dog meat again. Please Benji, don't go back to your father, don't go back to them.''

''But… they are my family, even though I'm different from them…'', Benji whispered and Spencer shook his head, deep down inside he was furious about the way these dogs treated Benji, about the fact they fed him dog meat while he didn't want to eat it, but on the outside he maintained his bright smile in order to cheer up the Akita Inu yearling.  
''They've never been your family and they never will be. Family isn't only about fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters; a true family is a pack that lives together and forms strong bonds that can never be broken. It's family who sticks together and never backs down from a fight if it means protecting those they care about. You can belong to our family, Benji, you're with us now.'', Spencer said and Benji looked at him, confused, but soon his face lit up a little. He wasn't actually smiling happily, but there was a weak smile on his face, a smile that thanked Spencer for his kind words.  
''Really…? Thank you…''  
''Don't thank us Benji, we're just doing what's right.'', Spencer replied and he looked away from the yearling, his eyes focused on their road ahead. he could hear the breathing of the enemy dogs behind him, they were getting closer. The three of them would have to do something to get rid of them, and quick. ''Go ahead, I will hold them back for you!'', Weston suddenly yelled and as soon as the old dog had spoken his pace slowed down. Spencer stopped and looked shocked at Weston as the old dog turned around and burst straight into the two other dogs.  
''Come on, let's go!'', Benji yelled and he grabbed Spencer by his neck, pulling slightly. Spencer looked at him and nodded, following the Akita Inu. It seemed like his words had reached the boy, as he now was leading Spencer out of this place. But even though Spencer ran away, he didn't feel determined to do so; he was afraid Boss and Weston might end up dying in order to save the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''What happened? Where are that show off and Old Bones, huh?'', William asked as Spencer and Benji stood there, panting heavily, their heads lowered. There was sadness in their eyes, worry, and William didn't make it any easier for them. ''And who is this kid? Spencer, answer us!''  
''Kid, speak, will you!'', Sam snarled, growling at the two boys. Spencer took a few steps back, staring at Sam in fear; the Labrador Retriever barely lost his temper, so that's why Spencer preferred to stay out of his way. ''Where is Boss!?''  
''T-they… stayed behind… to protect us…'', Spencer whispered, frightened, taking deep breaths while speaking. He looked at Benji for a moment, who stared back at him; the worry was clear in their eyes, and Benji's ears were pressed against the boy's skull. ''This is Benji…'', Spencer continued, looking back at Sam, William and Sheba, who was trying to hold back the angry Sam. ''…He was a part of the pack that attacked us, but he didn't want to be there. It were cannibals, they forced Benji to eat dog meat while hated to eat it. So we took Benji with us… And before you start calling him a monster or something else horrible; he left that pack, he's now with us. We can trust him.''  
''Boss and Weston were left behind!?'', Sam snarled and he stepped closer, the worried Sheba tried to push him back, his head bumping into the bigger dog's chest. ''And how do you know for sure we can trust this kid here, huh!? How do you know for sure they won't be coming to find us, HUH!? Tell me!''  
''Sam, easy! I just know we can trust him!'', Spencer yelled back at him. ''Else Weston and Boss wouldn't have stayed behind on order to protect us both… Weston was there when I accepted Benji into our pack, he accepted it, he agreed with it.''

''But he isn't here now, so you have no proof of that event whatsoever!'', Sam snarled furious. ''Boss and Weston might be dead, and as long as this kid hasn't proved himself, Spencer, we won't trust him nor treat him as our family, got it!? And neither will we trust you, because you don't earn our trust…''  
With those words Sam huffed and walked past the two yearlings, bumping into Spencer so he would almost fall over. Luckily Spencer could keep his balance, and he and Benji stared at Sam in disbelief as he walked off, followed by a silent Sheba.  
They heard a cough and looked down to see William, who stared up at them, his grumpy expression now sad, worrisome. He took a deep breath and swallowed, like he was trying to say something, but he couldn't quite find the right words.  
''I'm sorry, guys…'', was all he could say, before silently padding away from them, after Sheba and Sam. Benji looked at Spencer and nudged the sad yearling, before turning around to follow the others. Spencer walked behind him in silence.  
The sun had already begun to set; they had run through the village trying to find a way out for over hours, and all that time they hadn't eaten nor drunk anything. Spencer had put the pack's health and safety at risk, even though he had saved a life, he had also probably lost two. He started to doubt whether it had been the right choice to go to the village.


	7. Chapter 6

How long they had traveled, Spencer didn't know, but it felt like they were walking in circles, huge circles. As he looked around him he got the feeling the path they took was endless, like they came across the same trees every once in a while. But they hadn't eaten in days, so it probably was his hunger and exhaustion playing tricks on him.  
Spencer looked at William who was walking on his own, eyes focused on the ground, a grumpy expression like always, but this time it was mixed with regret; he felt guilty for losing Boss and Weston, even though it wasn't his fault; it was Spencer's.  
Spencer moved faster, getting closer to the small dog who seemed to get really tired. He looked down at him, a questioning look on his face.  
''You need me to carry you? You look tired…'', he asked and he already wanted to grab William's red collar, but the pug shook his head, refusing the offer.  
''No thanks, I can walk by myself.'', he said bluntly, not making eye contact with the yearling. Spencer's expression changed into a sad one and he pressed his ears against his head, nudging William. The pug grumbled and snapped at Spencer's muzzle for a moment, before continuing to walk. ''Don't do that. I don't want to talk right now.''  
''You think this is all my fault, right…? You do, too…'', Spencer whispered and William sighed, shaking his head.  
''You just thought there was food down there and you tried to help that kid. we lost Weston and Boss but in the end they made their own choice to stay behind… It's just so unreal, though… They're gone.''

''I really feel bad…'', Spencer whispered, William didn't respond, he just kept on walking in silence. It was like he pretended Spencer wasn't there. Like he didn't exist to the dog.  
There was only one dog, though, who wanted to speak to Spencer is a normal way; it was Benji, the Akita Inu yearling. He walked beside Spencer, nudging the male slightly.  
''You alright…?'', he asked, a worried look in his green eyes as he stared at the German shepherd dog. Spencer looked at him and shook his head, sighing. ''Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I know they probably meant a lot to you… And it's all my pack's fault…''  
''Former pack; you are now with us.'', Spencer quickly answered, but once more he shook his head. ''I don't really feel like speaking about it. I miss them and it's my fault, not yours. I wish I could have done it better…''  
''Well, if you hadn't come, you probably wouldn't have met me.'', Benji said, looking at the blue sky for a moment before glancing back at Spencer, a sad look in his eyes. ''But then again, maybe meeting me wasn't a good thing. I mean… if you hadn't met me I would still be in my pack, but then your friends wouldn't have been harmed…''  
''But if I hadn't met you, you would now still be eating your own kind. I could not let that go on, even though I barely know you. You shouldn't do something you don't want, Benji, that's why I took you out of there. That's why Boss and Weston helped you, too.''  
They both fell silent as they marched on, looking at the ground sadly. Neither of them knew what else to say, so they just moved on in utter silence. Until a sound caught their attention.

The sound of barking dogs, it sounded like a hunt. Benji and Spencer looked up, watching as Sam and Sheba stalked over to some bushes and hid behind it, laying flat on their bellies as they watched the scene unfold. William ended next them and glanced at the two yearlings, telling them with his expression that they should come look. Benji and Spencer eyed each other for slight moment, trying to read each other's thoughts, before running towards the three other dogs, laying down near them to see what was going on, as well.  
It were indeed hunting dogs, four of them, they chased after a wild boar which fled for its life. Three brown Labrador Retrievers and two black ones; they seemed to be family of each others, brothers and sisters, maybe.  
Spencer held his breath as he watched the hunting party; his belly grumbled because he hadn't eaten in days, and he felt like he was starving. He really wanted to jump up and join in, getting some of the meat for himself and the others, but he didn't know how to hunt and these dogs could be dangerous. Yet, they hunt wild prey for their food, not other dogs, so they probably weren't cannibals.  
''Shall we jump in and help them?'', Spencer asked, hoping maybe Sam or Sheba would have experience with hunting, but they looked at him with a confused look and Sam shook his head, growling slightly at the kid.  
''Are you nuts? Neither one of us can hunt and they might be hostile . I don't want to risk anything so you better stay here.'', Sam responded and Spencer huffed, mumbling: ''Then why are we watching them…?''  
Sam didn't respond anymore, but now Benji jumped into the conversation, an excited tone in his voice. ''Maybe they are a patrol group that belongs to Ōu.''

''You sure?'', Sam asked and he looked at Benji who shook his head, shrugging his shoulders slightly for as much as he could.  
''No, but maybe… I'm not sure at all… but maybe they know Ōu or have a bond with them in some sort of way. We could go ask them.'', Benji said and Sam sighed, staring at the dogs that hunted down the hill. He muttered: ''Why are you two so reckless? And I thought only having one Spencer was more than enough… you are like a second version of him, Benji…''  
''It was just an option, an idea.'', Benji huffed, glancing at Sam angrily before looking down at the unknown dogs. ''They're done hunting, they brought down the boar. Can we go ask now?''  
''Fine, have it your way.'', Sam said and he got to his paws, appearing from behind the bushes. He walked down the hills towards the unknown dogs as his tail swayed behind him annoyed. ''After all, what can happen to us, hmm?''  
''Stop being such a meanie.'', Benji said, stepping after him. Sheba and William were cautious at first and kept only watching, until Spencer went down by himself as well, wagging his tail happily, a bright smile on his face.  
The five of them ended up down the hill and looked at the five other dogs. If a fight would occur there would be five against five, but Spencer and the others were sort of outnumbered; they had two yearlings and a pug, and all dogs were inexperienced with hunting. These other dogs however had just brought down a wild boar together.  
''Hey you there, can we ask you something?'', Sam asked and the five strangers looked up from their meal, blood covering their muzzles as they licked off most of it. Some of them growled slightly, showing their sharp teeth at the strange looking pack.

''What do you want!?'', one of the two black dogs asked, lifting his head, staring at Spencer and the others with narrowed eyes. ''If it's our food; get lost.''  
''We _are_ hungry, but we don't steal.'', Sheba said, stepping in between Sam and the other pack's leader. The black dog looked down at him and grinned, an amused look on his face; it looked rather evil.  
''Who's your leader, little dog?''  
''Our leader perished not long ago… he got caught by… cannibals…'', Sheba said and for a moment the black dog took a step back, hissing slightly. He looked rather shocked but soon enough steadied himself and took a new step forward. There was regret in his chocolate brown eyes, but only slightly.  
''Really? I'm sorry about your loss…'', he whispered, before getting back to the actual subject, lifting his head and eyes once more at the other group. ''What did you want to ask us?''  
''We are looking for Ōu. We were wondering if you know where we can find them, or how long our travel up to the mountains still might take.'', Spencer now said, stepping closer to the black coated Labrador Retriever. He looked up at the male, staring straight in his eyes. This dog was much older and much bigger than him but Spencer wasn't afraid; after all he was asking a question politely.  
However, the black dog didn't seem happy with his question, a low rumble erupted from his throat, but only slightly. His first so expressionless eyes got filled with hatred, anger, irritation.

''Ōu you say…'', he began, he seemed to be thinking, but Spencer wasn't sure what was behind his face right now. he lifted his head again, staring down at the German shepherd mix. ''We know Ōu. Me and my siblings once belonged to the pack, but we got banished… We still hate them up till now…''  
''Why? Why were you banished?'', Spencer asked, digging a bit deeper, and the Labrador Retriever growled loudly, stepping closer to the yearling and staring down at him, showing his sharp teeth.  
''They thought we were spies, following orders from Hougen. The imbeciles! Like we would betray our only leader, our true leader!''  
The five Labrador Retrievers grew loud and angry, saying horrible things about Gin and Weed out of anger, out of frustration. They all now came closer to take a good look at Spencer and the others, they were now fat from friendly.  
''So you're going to Ōu, huh? Are you willing to join them?'', their leader asked and Sam shook his head, but Spencer wagged his tail, nodding.  
''Yes, of course! It has been my wish ever since I was born!'', he said and Sam sighed in frustration, the black coated dog growled even louder.  
''Get out of our territory! Get out of here and never return! If you want to join Ōu, go ahead, but if we ever see you again we will rip you apart! You seemed alright, we maybe wanted to share our meal with you because you look starved, but if you think Ōu is your pack, then leave!''  
The Labrador Retrievers came closer, way too close. They growled and snapped at Spencer and the others, making them back off and turn around, flee. ''Get out!''  
''Alright, we're going! We're already going!'', Sam shouted angrily, running back up the hill. The five of them ran away as fast as they could; Spencer had grabbed hold of William's collar along the way. ''This was truly a bad idea!'', Sam yelled at Spencer and Benji, really furious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Truly exhausted and starving, the five of them laid there in the grass, somewhere near a river. They had run up the hill, for a few hours straight, just to make sure they had gotten rid of the angry Labrador Retrievers.  
They laid there panting, tongues hanging out of their jaws. Benji and Spencer laid away from the group, more towards the river. The green grass tickled their paws and they were giggling, talking about things. One could call them insane for finding joy after such an event, but that's what pups and yearlings were like; they would keep on believing and finding hope, holding on to the good things in life.  
''That was quite a run.'', Benji said, chuckling and Spencer joined in, panting throughout his laughter and nodding his head.  
''Yeah, but we were faster.'', he said and he giggled again, Benji nodded, taking a deep breath as to try to catch his breath. ''Gosh, that wasn't scary at all. Now that I think of it… I probably wouldn't be scared of Hougen, either.''  
''No? I would.'', Benji said and he grinned, pawing at Spencer's face. He stopped after a few seconds and rested his head in the grass, looking at the German shepherd with interest. ''You know what happened to Hougen? I heard the stories as well but they tell Weed spared his life. But is that true?''  
''I'm not sure. I think Weed would have shared his life, seems like something he would do as Ōu's leader and all. I mean, there are no stories of Hougen dying, so I guess he's still out there somewhere, alive.''

''Wouldn't think that if I were you.'', a sudden voice spoke. The two of them looked up, startled by the one who spoke to them. Sam, Sheba and William had heard the stranger too and now stood behind Benji and Spencer, watching in silence as the two yearlings got to their paws.  
''Y-your are…?'', Spencer whispered, recognizing the dog from his mother's stories; a white coated dog with black spots and black ears; he seemed to be an English Setter.  
''The name's GB; I'm a tracker and runner of the Ōu army.'', the dog said, smiling at them, his tail wagged slightly. ''But enough about me; what are you going doing here in the open, so tired and… starving too, it seems?''  
''Wait, you are GB? The one who named Weed?'', Spencer asked and GB nodded, chuckling at Spencer as the yearling's smile grew bright and his face got truly excited. ''What did you say about Hougen?''  
''Well, Weed indeed didn't take his life, but no one is sure whether he's alive or not. I've heard stories about dogs finding him dead on the road, being hit by a car, so I just believe them. After all I hope that bastard will never come back to Ōu again.''  
''So he got run over by a car…?'', Spencer asked and GB shrugged, not answering the kid's questions anymore.  
''GB… Is Weed with you?'', Benji asked, stepping forward, his curly tail wagged with excitement. GB shook his head, which quite disappointed the Akita Inu, and he said: ''Of course not, Weed is with Ōu army, giving orders and helping the pack survive. After all he's the leader now. He has been for over a year. He's grown so much since I met him…''  
GB's voice trailed off as he stared off into the distance, but he soon came back to reality as his eyes met the five dogs again.

''Sorry, I just have a great bond with him. I used to be his guardian and godfather after I found him. I still am.'', he then said and Spencer chuckled, wagging his tail even more.  
''I know,'' the kid said, happy. ''my mother told stories about all of you, there's nothing I don't know.''  
''Really? So you're a little know-it-all, hmm? A big fan of our leader, I assume?'', GB asked and Spencer nodded rapidly, Benji followed his lead and nodded, too. ''You guys look like you haven't eaten in so long… Do you want to meet Weed and Gin? Maybe we can take you in if you like. But if not, then that's fine. Just helping out fellow dogs.''  
''Of course! I've always wanted to join Ōu!'', Spencer said, jumping up and down. ''I can't hunt though because I was born a stray dog in the city, but I would love to learn and live alongside Weed and the Ōu army! Can I become a guard or maybe something else, can I?''  
''Easy kid, you're not really well-build for a fighter or guard. Is your nose good at tracking? You could become a tracker like me.'', GB said, grinning at the German shepherd. ''Please, stay here in the forest, I will go back to the army and ask for Weed's help. I will soon return with an answer whether or not you can come along. But of course it will be certain that I will bring back food for you all. Ōu is one day travel away from here, so you can expect me back tomorrow, I promise.''  
GB turned around, looking back at the others for a slight second, adding to his last words: ''Stay hidden in the forest; it's dangerous to be out in the open like this. You are starving, so you're an easy target for those who want to harm you.''  
With those words GB ran off into the forest, disappearing out of sight. Sam huffed and looked at Spencer and Benji, his brown eyes showed nothing more but irritation.  
''Do you think he will keep his promise?'', Sheba asked, looking at the two yearlings. Spencer looked at him and nodded smiling and wagging his tail.  
''Of course he will come back with food and an answer; it's GB we're talking about. A true Ōu soldier.''


	8. Chapter 7

''What's that?'', Benji asked as he stared at the forest in front of him, his green eyes filled with curiosity. There was the sounds of birds screaming in terror, and their black figures flew up into the sky, like they were feeling from something.  
As Benji stood there Spencer ended up beside him, watching the scene unfold before him with the same curiosity. He looked at Sam and Sheba, who now stood behind them, and William who hopped after them on his small paws. The five of them looking at the light grey sky, watching the crows flee from something inside the forest. The wind carried along a scent which was similar to a dog's, yet different. None of the dogs knew what was happening, what was coming their way. Until suddenly there were growls sounding in the distance.  
''W-what was that…?'', Benji asked again, biting his lip as he looked worried at Spencer, like he was seeking for help and comfort, someone who would understand his worry and even fear. ''Is it coming this way…?''  
''I don't know what it is, but it sounds dangerous.'', Sheba responded to Benji, even though the yearling hadn't addressed him. As he spoke his eyes stayed focused on the forest standing tall in front of them. Around the trees branches started moving; it seemed like something big was scurrying forward. Or maybe a whole group of one kind of species. ''It doesn't smell like a dog… I don't know what it is…''  
That's when the movements around the trees stopped and suddenly a lot of growls were heard, followed by yelping, which soon after faded to utter silence. The group of dogs watched the tree line, holding their breath, until all of a sudden loud and long howls were heard which didn't sound like dogs, but close enough to be part of the canine family; wolves.

''Oh no! Wolves! Hide!'', Sheba yelled and he turned around, running towards another tree line somewhere behind the group of dogs. Sam went after Sheba and Benji grabbed William by his collar who raged loudly about being ''roughly dragged around''. The only one left still standing there was Spencer, watching with great interest, his body completely stiff; he couldn't move out of shock.  
Something was pushed out of the bushes, a figure fell on the ground, not moving at all; it was a wolf, a dead one.  
Tongue out of its mouth, eyes wide open, a golden color. It lay there silently, staring off into nothingness as blood poured from a wound in its chest. Spencer had never seen a wolf before, but it looked so much like a dog. At least, a lot like a dog like him, and some Siberian Huskies and German shepherds. Seeing a creature which wasn't a dog but yet so much alike like him worried Spencer slightly, afraid they might see him like one of them, too.  
''Spencer! This is their territory! As long as you stay out of it they won't hurt you! Come on!'', the yearling heard Sheba yell, but he just stared at the dead wolf in fear, not knowing what to do. He was completely terrified by the sight, taking a few steps back finally, but not running away, he couldn't take his eyes off the body.  
But as soon as a pair of front paws stepped out from the bushes Spencer screamed and finally turned around, fleeing up the hill after the others. Afraid he might be caught just like the dead wolf he ran as fast as he could, even passing Benji who was struggling to get William along.

The five dogs hid in the other part of the forest, laying behind some bushes as they tried to hide their scent. They listened for any sounds that would come their way, but after a few minutes of hiding there, laying in the shadows of the trees, nothing came their way and so they sighed in relief, getting back to their paws slowly and carefully.  
''I think we're out of their territory, and that they're gone…'', Sheba whispered and Sam nodded, encouraging Sheba to go take a look. Sheba however was too afraid to step out from behind the bushes and make sure they were completely safe, so instead Spencer did the job. The other four dogs stayed behind, slightly shivering, as Spencer glanced around the forest.  
There were no sounds nor any scents of wolves so Spencer carefully stalked forward towards the tree line where they had come from. But just as he wanted to leave the forest and re-enter the open area, a black figure stepped up in front of him.  
Spencer let out a short loud scream followed by a yelp and he took a few steps back, landing on his butt out of fear. He stared up at two amber colored eyes, with hints of blue and green in it. it were two piercing eyes, bright and scary in the dark, yet rather beautiful as well. It was a black coated wolf, a sleek one and rather small; he was only a bit bigger than Spencer, yet this male wolf seemed to be an adult, no yearling.  
The wolf stared at him in utter silence and with no expression at all and Spencer just didn't know what to do or say. While Sheba, Sam, Benji and William were behind him hiding in the bushes shivering and whimpering, Spencer stood there completely frozen and silent, staring at the quiet wolf.  
''U-um… hello…?'', he asked and the male twitched his perked ears, still not saying anything. Spencer swallowed and opened his mouth again, speaking some more. ''W-who are you? Why are you here? We didn't mean to enter your territory, really. We were just passing by and-''

The male wolf narrowed his eyes and looked away, staring at the ground, his ears were now pressed against his head. His tail flicked in annoyance but there still came no sound out of his mouth, he just stood there glancing away, quiet. ''Um, sir… Are you okay? You don't seem happy… W-what happened…?'', Spencer asked again and the wolf looked at him, flicking one of his ears once before pointing his muzzle at the other side of the forest, the part of the woods where the growling, yelping and howling had come from; the part of the forest where the wolves hid themselves.  
Spencer didn't know what to think about this wolf, but looking closer at the male he realized he was showing a lot of body language; ears flat, eyes filled with fear and sadness, tail tucked between his legs; this male seemed scared, or at least worried. Something had happened, and Spencer realized he needed to guess what it was.  
But he had no single clue about the actual situation until he saw some blood drops on the sandy ground behind the wolf; there was a small cut in his rear leg and a bigger one on his hip, and on his chest and belly were small wounds as well, biting wounds to be more exact; someone had snapped at him and hurt him.  
''Did they chase you off? Are you an outcast?'', Spencer asked, his blue eyes wide in shock and interest. The wolf looked at him again and nodded, his ears perking again slightly, but they didn't stand up fully; this wolf seemed more afraid of the dogs and they were of him. ''How could someone do this to their own kind…?'', Spencer asked and he stared at the ground, a sad look in his eyes.  
''Well, it happens with dogs, too. And remember that group of dogs Benji came from? Those cannibals? They took Boss and Weston from us…'', Sam responded, his voice hoarse and rather hollow, like he felt a lot of emotions when saying those two names, but didn't want to show it.

This time the wolf showed more aggressive behavior; he showed off his sparkling white teeth at Sam and the others, but no growling sounds came out of his mouth. It seemed like this wolf was mute; he wasn't able to speak, probably due an accident or maybe because he had been born like that. Either way, he wouldn't be able to freely communicate with the group of dogs. But, this didn't stop Spencer from trying to speak with him. Because whenever the dogs behind Spencer made a movement, the wolf silently growled; while whenever Spencer spoke or moved, the wolf didn't seem to care. It was like he trusted Spencer, even though he didn't know the yearling. Like he was looking at someone from his own kind, someone he could actually trust and understand.  
''Sir, did they chase you off because you're mute and your pack thought of you as useless because of it?'', the yearling asked and the wolf nodded, his head moving up and down eagerly, his first so expressionless face filled with shock; someone finally understood him for once. ''What's your name? Mine's Spencer.''  
''Don't say your name! What if he can speak but he's pretending not to? Don't trust a wolf unless you are one yourself, kid!'', Sam snarled and he growled at the wolf, who in response pressed his ears against his skull and backed off a few steps, growling back silently, fear in his multicolored eyes.

''Sam stop! You're scaring him!'', Spencer snarled back at Sam, before looking back at the wolf, wagging his tail slightly. ''Tell me your name, or at least show me your name, if you can.''  
The male nodded at Spencer and opened his mouth like he was going to speak, but instead he silently moved his lips, forming a word with them. Spencer tried to read his lips, eyes narrowed and highly concentrated. When he guessed he had it right, he looked the wolf in the eyes and asked: ''Your name is… Yoru?''  
Again the wolf nodded eagerly and Spencer smiled, his tail wagging even faster now. ''Okay, that's great. It's nice to meet you, Yoru. As said before; I'm Spencer. And these guys are my friends; we are off to Ōu's army, a large pack of wild dogs.''  
The wolf called Yoru looked their way now, his body still showing he was feeling really uneasy around these wannabe-wild dogs. But the longer he stared the more he seemed to calm down and he nodded at them like he was greeting them. Sheba was staring at Yoru with great interest and shock, because he had never expected a true wild wolf to socialize with wild dogs.  
''Hey guys, I've got an idea!'', Spencer suddenly yipped, causing the four behind him to jump up startled. ''This is a wolf. Wolves can hunt prey, they learn to when they're still rather young, right? We can offer Yoru a home in the Ōu army and in return he can teach us how to actually hunt, instead of having to steal food from others all the time, or find something to eat in trash cans. What do you guys say about it, huh?''  
''Sounds like a bad plan; I don't trust him, he's a wolf.'', Sam muttered under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear, even Yoru, who in response growled in silence again. ''See? He's bad, we can't take him along.''

''But he's wounded, and lonely… he needs company. And he can teach us how to hunt, we still need to learn that. isn't this a great opportunity?'', Spencer said again and Sheba and Sam exchanged looks with each other, while William moved closer to Yoru and looked the wolf up and down with narrowed eyes. The little pug then muttered as he looked up at Spencer: ''I guess it's fine.''  
''Yes! A new friend! We will be a very weird yet funny pack; five dogs and one wolf, sounds fun, doesn't it?'', Benji immediately added, smiling brightly as his curly tail wagged fast. Yoru looked at the young Akita Inu and nodded, a weak smile on his face for only a few seconds, but it quickly faded again soon after.  
There was rusting behind them, the sound of paw steps and annoyed muttering. The group of dogs and the single wolf looked at the bushes, from which a dog all of a sudden appeared, holding a dead goose between its jaws. It was an English setter, white coated with spots of black all over its body; it was GB. Eyeing the dogs he smiled and dropped the goose to the ground, his tail wagging with excitement.  
''Guys, I finally found you back! It was a long travel but Weed has agreed to meet you at the Ōu Mountains, where the pack lives. And- Who's that!?''  
His eyes were now on Yoru, the wolf took a few steps back as their eyes met and he showed his teeth at the English setter, who growled back in response. ''A wolf! What is he doing here? Why are you with this wolf!?''

''We can explain GB! This is Yoru; he's a mute wolf, his pack chased him off, he's an outcast!'', Spencer quickly said, defending the black coated creature. Benji immediately stood beside Spencer, facing GB as well as he pressed his chest forward, like he was trying to look bigger and stronger.  
''Yeah, he can teach us how to hunt, and in return we will offer him a place in our group.'', the Akita Inu said and GB blinked a few times in confusion before shivering all over his body. He seemed to be debating with himself, whether or not to accept the wolf.  
''Well but… it's a wolf… But… I guess if he's willing to help you, in exchange for a home and company… he can stay?'', he then mumbled, not sure if it was the right decision. ''But I'm not fond of wolves, just so you know. So he better not try anything…''  
''Yes! Thank you GB! You're the best!'', Spencer said and he ran over to GB, nuzzling the dog's chest. GB chuckled and joked: ''Well, most say I'm the best.''  
''Thank you for the food as well, GB! We were starving!'', Benji said, wagging his tail, but William poked the kid's leg as to get him quiet and then looked at GB, frowning, as he asked: ''But isn't one goose enough food for five dogs and one wolf?''  
''Ooooh… I guess you got a point there. I can go look for more.'', GB said, but suddenly his body stiffened as he stared. Spencer turned his head to see Yoru, who had moved closer to the group. His whole body was in a submissive stance as he stared at GB without any emotions written on his face. After that short moment of silently staring he poked the dead goose with his nose and looked at GB with a questioning look. GB, who probably thought Yoru asked him if he could eat some of the meat, hesitated before nodding slowly.  
However, Yoru didn't rip off a part from the dead goose. Instead he turned around and quickly ran off, limping slightly due the wounds on his rear leg and hip, in search of food for the group. ''I see… Well, I guess… that wolf's not that bad.'', GB said and Spencer nodded, smiling brightly.


	9. Chapter 8

''We're entering Futago Pass, everyone. Please stay close to me, I know where to go. I don't want anyone to get lost right now, this place is huge.'', GB said as the dogs walked up a hill, in front of them the two huge mountains which together formed Futago Pass. GB stood in front, his head lifted as he stared at the blue sky; grey clouds were slowly coming their way. ''Seems like it's gonna storm soon. We should stick together and out of the wind.''  
He turned his head to look at the other dogs behind him, counting them one by one, making sure they all had made it, that no one had fallen behind in the last few days of traveling. After all they had been on their way for three days now, longer than the dogs had expected to.  
''Where is William?'', GB suddenly asked, looking around him for the small pug, which had lost a lot of weight during their traveling; it wasn't the little oversized dog anymore it used to be.  
''Behind me, GB, he wanted to walk on his own.'', Benji said and William stepped from behind the Akita Inu yearling, looking at GB, snorting once. Benji laughed at his reaction before speaking to GB again: ''He didn't want to be carried anymore, he was sick of it.''  
''Yeah, of course I was.'', William said, glaring at Benji with the evil eye before running past the yearling and almost stumbling over his own small paws. He ran down the hill, telling the others to follow him. ''Come on guys, I want to reach that pack before midnight, we're so close!''  
''Hold on William! It might take another whole day to reach it! we have to cross those mountains and it's not a safe path, please follow me and don't go on ahead by yourself!'', GB quickly screamed after the pug, running as fast as he could ands jumping in front of the little dig, stopping him from going any further. ''Just don't do anything stupid- Now where is that wolf?''

Two amber eyes with hints of blue and green lit up in the bushes behind the group of dogs. It didn't take long before the group noticed them and turned around to look, and a sleek black coated wolf left its hiding spot, holding a dead rabbit firmly clamped between his jaws. GB sighed in relief as he saw the big canine, sitting down on the sandy path with a thud.  
''Good lord, you scared us… But at least you're here now, and with food, that's good.'', the English Setter said, grinning weakly as he stared at Yoru, a hint of fear in his brown eyes; it more seemed like the grin was forced. ''Guess you're quite useful after all…''  
Yoru simply nodded and walked over to GB, laying the dead rabbit in front of the dog's paws. He lifted his head and eyed the English Setter with curiosity, before taking a few steps back and flicking with his tail once. GB glanced up at Yoru, his body shivering slightly, before he got to his paws and took the prey in his jaws. He gestured for the others to follow him, the group silently obeying, following him.  
Yoru walked a bit ni the back, just behind Spencer, who was trying to keep William close to them, together with Benji. Spencer looked behind him at Yoru and smiled, wagging his tail. ''You can walk beside us, I don't mind.'', the German Shepherd said and Yoru dropped his head slightly in submission, his eyes focused on Spencer as they held no expression at all. Spencer frowned and kept staring at the wolf, not sure how to respond. ''You don't have to act like this, Yoru, you're one of us now. You're just as important as we all are, maybe even more important because you're a great hunter.''

Yoru smiled weakly, only for a few seconds, before taking back his expressionless face and walking a bit faster, ending up beside Spencer, looking at the kid. Benji looked the wolf's way, feeling a bit unsure about him still, but he had agreed with Spencer to let the wolf come along, so he tried his best not to show any fear.  
''Yoru, how old are you, actually? You don't seem that old yet.'', Benji asked and Yoru looked at the Akita Inu, moving his lips, but of course no sound came out. ''Wait, lemme ask it differently; are you almost two years old?''  
Yoru shook his head and Benji sighed, thinking again. ''Hmmm… are you over two years old?''  
The wolf stood still and shrugged slightly for a much as he could, before slowly nodding. The two yearlings looked at each other and chuckled before looking back at Yoru, who was once again following them. ''You look quite younger than you actually are. Sounds funny, hmm?''  
Yoru frowned at them and snorted, before shaking his head and moving as bit faster, walking in front of Spencer, Benji and William. The two yearlings laughed again and William rolled his eyes, stepping out from underneath Spencer's paws as he tried not to step on them. He looked up at the two yearlings, trying to get their attention.  
''Yo kiddos, leave that doggie alone, 'kay? Seems like yer annoying him with yar useless questions.'', the pug said and Spencer laughed even louder, winking at William before responding: ''When you are you going to speak normal?''  
''Oh never mind!'', the pug growled annoyed, moving even faster and ending up below Yoru, walking between the wolf's paws. ''From now on, ya and me are best buds, 'kay, wolf?''

The dogs stopped when suddenly a loud noise was heard; growling and yelping from the forest. GB looked up and his whole body shivered again. He dropped the dead rabbit from his jaws, staring up at the tree line. ''Everyone, be quiet, and calmly move on…'', he said, but Yoru didn't listen. The wolf showed his sharp teeth as he tried to growl, and left the group of dogs, running up towards the trees. ''Yoru! You useless fool!''  
''GB, hold on! Maybe Yoru's gonna see what's going on.'', Spencer said as he ran up next to GB, looking at the English Setter. ''Yoru can't speak so even when he's hurt he can't make a sound; they probably won't even know he's there, and he can try and tell us what's going on by moving his lips. If any of us can read his lips, that is…''  
''Yea, who's gonna read that wolf's lips then, hmm?'', Sam asked sarcastically and Sheba nodded, agreeing with his friend. ''I mean, it's not like he can just tell us what's going on there.''  
Barking drew the group's attention and they looked at the tree line again, body completely stiffened in shock.  
Two canines came from the forest, a black one and a reddish one with white, covered in heavy wounds; it were Yoru and an Akita Inu. The two reached the group and stood still for a moment, panting heavily before setting their eyes on the dogs.  
As soon as Benji and the other Akita Inu looked at each other, Benji screamed and hid behind Spencer, shaking all over his body, his green eyes filled with terror and focused on the red coated Akita Inu.

''H-hey! Y-you are-!'', Spencer said, but no more words came out. The adult Akita Inu licked his wounded paw for a moment before looking up at the dogs, a grin spreading across his face.  
''Benji, I finally found you back, it's so good to see you again, my son.''  
''Why did you follow us!?'', Spencer snarled, stepping forward, protecting Benji from the bigger dog. He showed his teeth at the adult, his tail risen in anger and aggression. Spencer's behavior caused Yoru to look confused and then join in with the growling, showing his teeth at the dog next to him in silence. The other dogs just stared in confusion, not sure what was going on.  
''Who is this? Why is Benji so scared?'', Sheba asked, looking at William and then at Sam before glancing over at Spencer, who was still standing there in a protective stance.  
''This is Benji's father, the leader of that cannibalistic dog pack from a few days ago! They killed Weston and Boss! HE killed them!''  
''No! Wait!'', the Akita quickly spoke, his brown eyes filled with all of a sudden, the grin wiped from his face. ''I didn't kill them! I'm actually not really the leader, the others forced me to be! I didn't kill them!''  
''Liar!'', Spencer responded, stepping even closer. Drool was now dripping from his jaws. ''Tell me the truth! Where are Boss and Weston!? If you didn't kill them, then where are they!?''


	10. Chapter 9

''My name is Ryota, I am Benji's father. I used to be the leader of that dog pack down there in that old small village, yes… But I wasn't exactly the leader. Please let me explain…'', the Akita Inu spoke, eyeing each and every one of them carefully as there was fear in his eyes. The group of dogs stared at him and growled at him; there was no time for Ryota to explain.  
''Tell us where Boss and Weston are! They were our friends!'', Spencer snarled and Ryota took a step back, groaning at the sudden stings of pain in his wounded body.  
''Y-yes, yes, let me explain… they forced me to, I always wanted to be a leader so I just took the opportunity, even if that meant eating my own kind. I shouldn't have done that, it was wrong. And when Benji and his siblings got born I tried to stop it, choose the best thing for them, but it was hard because I didn't want to lose the role as leader, nor my honor… So I stayed leader in that pack, that horrible pack. It was wrong, I know…''  
''Tell us where the two dogs are you attacked a few days ago!'', Sam suddenly snarled, stepping in front of Spencer as he held his tail high and his teeth shown at the Akita Inu. ''You're wasting our time! Where are they!?''  
''I didn't kill them, I swear!'', Ryota yelped as Sam came closer, standing tall above him and forcing him down in a submissive stance. Ryota had his ears now pressed against his skull, and his first so curly tail tucked between his hind legs. He glanced up at the Labrador Retriever, true terror in his eyes. ''I didn't kill them, they did! The others did! But I know it's my fault as well; I let it happen… but I didn't kill them! I didn't touch them!''  
''Did you eat from their flesh!? Where are their bodies!?'', Sam snarled again and Ryota began to cry, cowering even more. ''Tell us!''  
''I… I didn't eat from them… I left as soon as they started the chase… I went after you guys, because I didn't want to leave Benji behind and-''  
''Liar!''

''Sam, easy. I think he's telling the truth…'', Spencer mumbled and everyone looked confused at the yearling as he stepped forward, pushing Sam aside. He looked down at the terrified Akita, holding his head a bit low. ''Tell me, Ryota, did you really leave the pack to find back Benji?''  
''Y-yes, yes I did!'', Ryota answered, whimpering in fear as now tears streamed down his face. Spencer didn't hesitate but immediately pressed his wet nose against the dog's chest, trying to feel the his heartbeat. ''I think he's really speaking the truth…''  
''You can't be serious!'', Sam responded with a loud growl, glancing furiously at Spencer. But Spencer didn't back down from Sam's anger. instead he pulled back from Ryota and looked up at the Labrador Retriever standing beside him. With a serious expression on his face he said: ''A heart never lies, Sam.''  
''S-so he's speaking the truth…?'', Benji asked, shivering all over his body. He glanced nervously at his father, his tail tucked between his legs as well. Not sure how to respond he hid himself behind Spencer, staying close to the German Shepherd mix like he was begging him for protection. ''I-I don't know…''  
Ryota looked worried at Benji, sighing in defeat. He slowly got back up, still with his ears pressed against his head, and whispered: ''I know you don't trust me anymore, that you don't believe me… and I can't force you to believe me, either… But please, give me a second chance, I can be better, I swear…''  
Benji shook his head wildly, still shivering and shaking. He stood behind Spencer, holding his head low, almost touching the ground, his tail pressed against his belly, his ears in his neck. His green eyes were big with fear, his forehead pressing against Spencer's hind leg as he stared in disbelief. ''Wait, you're going to Gajou right? To Ōu's army, right? I can bring you there, I know where to go! You lost your guide, I can take you there!''

''We already have a new guide, Ryota. But you can follow us if you want.'', Spencer said, the others looking at him in anger and confusion. ''…But only if you stay in the back the whole journey and eat last, and only if you behave yourself. One wrong act and we throw you out and do the same to you as you did to those innocent dogs before Boss and Weston, got it?''  
''Yes, I understand…'', Ryota responded, holding his head low in submission, his brown eyes closed. He then glanced away, staring at the ground, not saying a single word more. Spencer looked at GB, a serious expression on his face, still.  
''He's wounded, we can't travel far with him like this. We should rest or have someone carry him.'', the yearling said and GB opened his mouth; he wanted to respond, say he didn't agree with the German Shepherd, but he soon closed his jaws again, nodding.  
''I will carry him, don't worry about that; we can still make it in one or two days, we don't have to rest and travel for another week.'', the English Setter said and Spencer nodded, turning around to look at Yoru.  
''We hadn't actually planned on bringing along another dog, but thank you for showing him to us, Yoru. You're fair and kind, that's important, my mother always told me.'', he said and Yoru nodded in response, smiling weakly before staring at his paws, he was probably thinking. ''I want you to keep an eye on Ryota for us all. you brought him here and he trust you, okay Yoru?''  
The wolf nodded again, no expression in his eyes, but the nodding, his answer, seemed resolute. Spencer nodded in return and smiled, wagging his tail. he turned around and walked past GB who was sustaining Ryota. As the dogs moved on a weak grin spread across Ryota's face, but it quickly disappeared again as Spencer turned his head and looked his way with narrowed eyes.

''Tell me, Ryota, how did you get wounded like this? Got some nasty wounds there…'', the yearling spoke and Ryota swallowed, glancing away from him.  
''I got into a fight… I was walking through the forest when suddenly I got attacked by a pack of dogs… I wasn't able to see them, I only saw their shadows and their figures in the dark. They looked a bit like huge German Shepherds.'', Ryota said, before looking at Yoru, his eyes narrowed slightly. ''A bit like that dog, though, I'm not sure… I've never been outside that village, so I don't really know much about all types of dog breeds, or if there are any other creatures like dogs.''  
''Yoru is a wolf.'', Spencer said, correcting the wounded dog. ''Though, he's not dangerous; Yoru was banished from his pack, he belongs with us now.''  
''Maybe it indeed was a wolf pack, they can be quite aggressive when you enter their territory…'', GB spoke, not looking at Ryota as he supported the Akita Inu. ''You should have been more careful…''  
GB shivered slightly as he finished speaking, looking nervously at the tree line. ''Oooh, what if they're here, looking at us right now, staring with their evil eyes?''  
Yoru snorted at GB, the only sound he could make, as he watched the English Setter with irritation. GB looked at him and chuckled nervously, trying to keep himself calm. ''Um never mind, I'm sorry… But you're not one of them. You don't have evil eyes…''

''Who's there? Who's entering Futago Pass?'', a sudden voice spoke and the dogs stopped. Spencer looked up at two dogs that stood in front of them, looking down at the group. It were a brown coated Great Dane and a dark grey coated Kai Ken, blocking the small pack of dogs from entering Futago Pass.  
''Ken, Kagetora! It's me, GB!'', the English Setter responded, a huge smile on his face as he left Ryota's side to step forward. The two dogs standing on the hill quickly came down to greet their fellow Ōu soldier.  
''GB?'', the Great Dane asked, looking confused at the dog in front of him. It was the Kai Ken, called Kagetora, who spoke next. ''GB! Where did you run off to? It's good to see you again. Weed was getting worried. I mean, I'm sure you're off to Ōu right now, right?''  
''Yeah, I was patrolling down the forest a few days ago when I came across this group of dogs, they were heading for Ōu so I went back as fast as I could to ask for Weed's and Gin's permission, before returning to pick them up.''  
''Then why did it take you longer to return to Futago Pass?'', Ken asked, eyeing the group of dogs carefully. His brown eyes stayed on the black coated wolf standing in the back, Yoru.  
''We had a little bit a problem… These dogs are not used to traveling so far, and we have a small pug as well, so he had a hard time keeping up with everyone else, that's why it took us two days longer to get here.'', GB responded, immediately receiving an annoyed growl from William.  
''I might be small but I can survive in the wild, don't question my skills, mutt.'', he said and GB chuckled nervously before looking back at the two patrollers.

''Why is that… what kind of dog is it, anyway?'', Ken finally asked, his eyes had been on Yoru the whole time he had been staring. ''Or isn't it a dog?''  
''Yoru is a wolf.'', Spencer said, stepping in between Yoru and the rest of the dogs surrounding them. ''His pack chased him out because he's mute, he joined us because he can teach us how to hunt, and he needed company.''  
''A-a wolf…?'', Ken asked and he looked at Yoru with disbelief, eyed wide. ''But… why is he with you? Wolves are dangerous, especially this pack close by; their territory is larger than Ōu's, and they're rather aggressive and dominant over it.''  
''They mostly keep themselves hidden and mind their own business, but lately they've been a pain to us… They keep on getting closer, like they're trying to expand their territory and take a bit of Ōu's territory in the process.'', Kagetora said, eyeing Yoru with curiosity. ''How can you be sure this wolf isn't a danger to us? A spy of some sort?''  
''He isn't,'' Spencer said, protecting Yoru from the stares by standing right in front of the wolf. ''we saw it happening, we saw his pack chase him off. One of the other wolves that were banished died. He was killed by his own pack. I saw it happen, I was there. Yoru isn't part of that pack anymore. He's our friend.''  
''if you say so… though, we should discuss this matter with Weed and Gin first.'', Ken responded, eyeing the wolf with slight nervousness. ''I don't really trust him, but that's my opinion.'', he continued to say and Kagetora nodded, agreeing with his friend.

''Can you bring us to Ōu? We have a wounded dog with us and we really want to meet Gin and Weed.'', Spencer said and Ken and Kagetora looked at the yearling. There was a moment of hesitation, but they soon nodded to his request.  
''Yeah, that's fine, you can come with us. We will bring you there.'', Ken said and he turned around, walking back up the hill towards Futago Pass, Kagetora soon followed him, as well as GB and the others. ''Tell us your names so we can introduce you to our leader immediately when we get to Gajou.''  
''I'm Spencer,'' Spencer said and he looked behind him, making sure he would miss anyone in their introduction. ''the pug is William, the Shiba Inu is Sheba, the Labrador Retriever is Sam and the young Akita Inu is Benji. The older Akita Inu is Ryota, he's Benji's father… As for the wolf, his name is Yoru.''  
''I see, you got quite a special bunch there.'', Ken responded and Kagetora laughed.  
''A wounded dog, a small pug, a wolf. You guys indeed are a special pack, gotta agree with Ken here.'', the Kai Ken spoke, chuckling at the thought of having a pug and a wolf joining Ōu. He turned his head to look at William and Yoru, who were walking beside each other. ''We don't have any small dogs in Ōu, neither did we ever accept a wolf. Wonder what Weed and Gin will think of you.''

There was the sound of howling behind the trees, far away from the dogs, but still too close for comfort. The two patrollers looked up, as well as GB who hid a bit behind them, feeling rather nervous and scared again. Yoru looked up at as, growling in silence as he showed his teeth at the invisible enemies.  
''Eh, wolves… I tell you, they're doing this on purpose, trying to scare us like that.'', ken said and Kagetora nodded, adding to his friend's words with an annoyed expression: ''A bunch of annoying fools. Though, they're quite strong, and big… They're not that nice, let's just say that.''  
''What's gonna happen now? Will a pack of wolves invade Ōu? Why is Ōu always in danger, why does everyone want to take over Gajou and have it for their own?'', Spencer asked, looking worried at the ground as he walked. ''First Akakabuto, then Kaibutsu… and now wolves.''  
''So you've heard about those stories, hmm?'', ken asked and Spencer nodded.  
''Yeah, Akakabuto was defeated by Gin, and Kaibutsu by Weed, one year ago. My mother told me their stories, but I loved the stories about Weed the most.'', the German Shepherd mix said and Ken stared off into the distance, thinking.  
''…We probably don't get a wolf attack, but we can never be certain. Ever since these wolves came closer we asked Weed if it was necessary to create a stronger border and have more patrollers and scouts roaming the areas inside and outside the territory.'', he then said, not looking behind him as he spoke. Spencer eyed his worried and then nodded, sighing in defeat. It seemed like Ōu wasn't worried about this wolf pack at all.


	11. Chapter 10

Futago Pass was surely big, Spencer looked around him with opened mouth and with huge blue eyes. It made him pay no attention to his surroundings, and he almost stumbled over a small stone laying on his path. Yelping he fell forward, bumping into Benji who was knocked down along by him.  
The two yearlings fell on the ground, sand and dust whirling up into the sky. The other dogs turned around to look at them in confusion, and GB moved to the pack of the group to make sure they were alright.  
''What happened to you two?'', he asked, frowning. ''Did you suddenly fall?''  
''I stumbled…'', Spencer said and he blushed slightly, feeling quite ashamed. He got to his paws again, chuckling slightly as he met Benji's annoyed gaze. ''I stumbled over a stone when I wasn't paying attention.''  
''How could you be so dull? You should look before you.'', Benji said annoyed and snorted, turning around and moving on. Spencer sighed in response, chuckling again as he now felt ev3n more ashamed. He said to Benji: ''I'm sorry, Futago Pass is just so big; it amazes me.''  
GB laughed and poked the German Shepherd mix with his paw, right at the shoulder. He spoke to Spencer as he winked at him, grinning. ''You really remind me of Weed sometimes.''  
The two dogs moved again, going after the others. Meanwhile Spencer looked confused at GB, wondering why he had said it. And he wasn't going to keep it thought, he really wanted to know. ''Why do I remind you of Weed? And when?''  
''You sure are a curious pooch.'', GB responded, still grinning. As they walked he looked at Spencer, smiling at him. ''Weed has always been a very curious dog, too. And he too was amazed by the beauty of Futago Pass and all the other parts in Ōu's territory. And considering you accepted Ryota to come with you… you would be just a fair leader as Weed is today. He too gave others a second chance and saw a good side in them. He's one of fair justice, just like you.''

''Really? So I'm just like Weed?'', Spencer asked, a smile on his face as he stared up at GB all excited. However, GB chuckled and shook his head, causing Spencer to stare at the ground with a sad look in his eyes.  
''No, you're not the same. You two have the same personality traits, but you are both different dogs. You both have your own life and your own story to tell.'', the English Setter answered and Spencer looked up at him again, wagging his tail happily.  
''Really? So I'm not exactly like him but we're quite alike?'', he asked and GB nodded, causing Spencer to squeal and run fast, passing all the others. ''I'm almost just like my hero! Now I really wanna meet him!''  
''Oh boy, sure is an interesting pooch. He's almost just like Weed when that kid was younger.'', GB said, laughing again. He started running now, too, the others following as well because they didn't want to fall behind. ''Hold on kid, wait for us!''  
The group of dogs ran over the hills, Ryota being supported by the wolf called Yoru. As they reached down the hill a small river blocked their path, but it wasn't very much an obstacle; Spencer jumped straight over it, and so did the others. Passing the small river they entered a huge dark green forest, a mixture of birch trees and pine trees all together.  
''We're getting closer to Ōu's heart, Gajou. It won't take long now till we reach the pack and get to see Weed and Gin.'', Ken said as he ran just after GB, looking around him. his brown eyes were narrowed as he spoke. ''Though, it sounds oddly quiet… a bit suspicious out here.''

''You feel it too, huh, Ken?'', Kagetora asked, looking at the Great Dane, who nodded in response. ''There are no birds singing… I guess it's those wolves hiding themselves in this forest. They seem to follow us for some reason.''  
With his last words he glared at Yoru, who was running in the back, carrying the wounded Ryota on his back. The black wolf was rather small for his age and breed, and quite slender, but he still had enough strength, making him able to support the adult Akita Inu who seemed to be asleep, his head hanging down, his brown eyes closed.  
''Hey, wolf, where are your filthy friends, hmm? Those mutts, covered in fleas?'', Kagetora asked, his voice sarcastic as he teased Yoru, trying to get the wolf out of its shell, but Yoru didn't pay any attention to the Ken Kai's words, he didn't seem to bug. He just stared at the dog, almost like his multicolored eyes tried to stare right through Kagetora's soul. ''Eh fine, have it your way… I don't trust you.''  
''Shut up Kagetora. That wolf is wounded, too. Only slightly, but still; he's no match for us. And if that kid called Spencer said he joined them and won't harm us, then we better trust his words.'', Ken said, looking at the Kai Ken. ''Didn't Weed teach us to accept someone and give them a chance until proven differently?''  
''Yeah, guess you're right…'', Kagetora answered in a mumble, staring at the path in front of them. He didn't feel like arguing with Ken over this anymore, because in the end Ken mostly was the one who was right about things.

''S-stop!'', GB suddenly said and the dogs all stopped, bumping into each other, creating a pile of fallen, disorientated dogs. They called out GB's name in frustration, getting up and rolling out from underneath each other as they sought for ground beneath their paws again. That's when a faint scent of wolf hit them, and the dogs looked up to see the black figures of other canines staring down at them, but these canines were much bigger than the dogs, and their eyes held an evil glow; brown, amber, yellow, all eyes were different. As the black figures stared down at the dogs growls were heard, deep and frightening. ''W-wolves…''  
''Are those… actual wolves…?'', Kagetora asked, staring up at the canines in the shadows, his body shivering as his tail was tucked between his legs. ''They're much bigger than… Yoru. How come?''  
''That's probably why they chased Yoru off; the male was smaller AND mute, useless to their pack…'', Spencer answered Kagetora's question, not looking at Yoru as he spoke, but he could feel the tension around the group of dogs; he was sure Yoru was standing behind them, cowering as well, even though he was a wolf just like those creatures up those hills in this forest. ''W-what do we do now…?''  
The creatures came down the hill, stepping closer. There was no way the dogs could go around; the wolves were blocking their path. Five canines came from the darkness of the forest, out of the shadows, their eyes on the dogs, growls emerging from their throats, deep down. One of them was drooling, showing off his teeth while his yellow eyes were filled with rage and insanity, a golden coat with white and cream through it. While three others just growled at them, all black coated just like Yoru, and brown eyes, the fifth and last wolf standing in the front just stared at them, his amber eyes piercing through their soul as his face held no expression at all. He rolled his eyes for a moment, his voice a deep sound as he sighed and spoke, almost like he was tired of seeing dogs.  
''Ugh, dogs… more and more dogs, like always.'', he said, his eyes rolling back down onto the presences in front of cowering, cowering before him.

''Why are you here? Speak up! Don't make us attack you, I have an army, more than a thousand wolves hiding in the shadows.'', the wolf spoke, his amber eyes full of life and excitement as his face stayed the same; expressionless. His coat was a brown color with mixtures of cream and grey going through it. One of his ears was torn, giving this leader an actual dominant look, an aggressive look. ''Speak up I said!''  
''S-sir, we didn't mean to go through your territory, if this is part of yours.'', Spencer spoke up, stepping forward, his head held high as he tried to stare the wolf into his eyes without averting his own or shaking all over his body. ''We just need to go through this forest in order to get to Gajou, the heart of Ōu… Please, let us through and we promise not to return to this very part of the forest.''  
The wolf laughed, throwing his head back as he did so. The other wolves laughed too, the golden coated one which has first appeared the most aggressive of all laughed the loudest and in a very unpleasant way.  
Stopping with laughing the brown coated leader tilted back his head a bit, looking at the small German Shepherd yearling in front of him. His amber eyes held even more excitement now as a grin was spread across his face, showing off his sharp sparkling teeth.  
''Gajou? Ōu? That pack is pathetic, they will not be able to stand up against us.'', the wolf spoke and he laughed again, the golden coated wolf laughing as well, but he was soon shut up by the other three, receiving growls and snaps from them. ''Dogs don't belong in this forest, dear boy. And neither do wolves who are traitors.'', he continued to say as his eyes slowly drifted off to Yoru, the male hiding in the back.

''Dogs have never belonged here, they belong back in the villages and cities with their human owners, they belong in captivity. Wolves are the ones who belong here, they should be the ones free and wild.'', the wolf leader spoke, eyeing all the dogs with an angry glare one by one, but the grin never left his face, until now. ''That's why Gajou should be ours. It's ours! And if it won't become ours then it's no one's! we wolves are thriving, we need a territory, a place where we can live freely and survive, dogs aren't wild, they shouldn't be here, they shouldn't stand in our way!''  
The three black wolves standing behind their leader howled, it sounded like a victory howl, and the golden coated one quickly followed their lead; he seemed to fall behind on everything, and not exactly too bright.  
''We will take back what is ours, we will fight against you mutts and take over Gajou, we will bring down the Ōu army and kill them all, no mercy! You stole this place from us and now you will pay, we will steal it right back from you!''  
The other wolves had stopped howling and nodded, standing just behind their leader, eyeing the dogs. The three black coated wolves held no expression while the golden coated wolf with yellow eyes grinned and giggled like a little pup, droll dripping down his jaws once more as he stared at the group with a look of insanity in his eyes.  
''You can't do that! Ōu fought hard to win Gajou back for their own! Gajou belongs to Ōu and to no one else!'', Spencer yelled furiously, stepping forward as he growled loudly. The wolf stared into his blue eyes, not pulling them away at all, they both just stared at each other, until he let out a chuckle, closing his eyes.

''I see, you're a strong pooch, you're different from the others… I will let you live for now, kid. you're a more worthy opponent than any other dog in this world, facing me like this, not stepping back. For now you will live.'', he said as he turned around, looking at Spencer. ''But mark my words; we will kill each and every dog in this continent, each dog that tries to become wild and free. I, Kenshi, leader of Japan's wolves, will promise you this.''  
With those words the male turned around and glanced at Spencer with a slight grin on his face, before moving back up the hill. ''Kai, Zai, Rai, follow me. Hokori, report about these filthy mutts to General Kurai back in the mountains, hurry up!''  
The golden coated wolf nodded quickly and ran off in the other direction, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as it was swept aside by the wind. Before the four other wolves vanished from the dogs' sight, Kenshi looked one last time at Spencer before rushing into the forest, disappearing behind the trees, and the triplets Kai Zai and Rai followed him.  
''Oh no, this is bad… we gotta report the situation to Weed and Gin quickly, before that mutt of a wolf does to their own General.'', GB said, looking at the other dogs around him. ''Hurry guys, we gotta reach Gajou before nightfall!''  
The dogs began to run up to hill, towards where the wolves had went, but there was left no sign of the evil creatures. But Spencer was sure they would return to finish them off. However, he wondered why Kenshi had let them live for now, why he had let them go. It couldn't be just because Spencer had been standing up, right?


	12. Chapter 11

''A raging river, do we have to cross it?'', Spencer asked as he watched the water stream very fast in front of him. GB shook his head and Ken responded with: ''No, if we keep on following this river we will be fine.''  
With those words the Great Dane turned around and sat in the grass, staring up at the tree tops. ''We gotta reach Gajou before nightfall if we want to bring the news in time, but we can't wear ourselves out; we will take a few minute rest.'', he continued to say and Spencer nodded, eyeing the tree tops as well.  
''Good, I've wanted to drink something for so long now.'', Benji said in response and went over to the river, carefully touching the water with his paw to make sure the water wasn't too cold, nor that it was strong enough to drag him along in the stream at this very point near the edge. When everything seemed safe Benji bent down his head, drinking from the water. He continued to do so as the others rested and chatted in the grass for a bit.  
Limping over to the water's edge was Ryota, standing next to his son as he stared down at the water. Benji lifted his head slightly and stared at the older Akita Inu with narrowed eyes, before drinking from the water again. As he did this he kept staring up at the adult, watching him carefully.  
''What do you want?'', he asked and Ryota pressed his ears against his head for a moment, before smiling weakly at his son.  
''I thought I could speak to you for a moment, now that we're resting… I hope you're willing to listen to me when I say that I'm very sorry for what's happened.'', he said and Benji snorted, glancing away from him, staring back at the water which he was drinking.  
''Like I would ever forgive you. You're not my father anymore.'', the yearling said and Ryota showed his teeth for a moment, before pulling back his head and glancing at the water.  
''Your words hurt me, Benji.'', he spoke, his voice hoarse. Benji shook his head in disbelief, not really paying much attention to the adult anymore. ''But I see now… I understand… It is how it is, isn't it?''

His voice had grown rather dark and deep and Benji now looked back up at him, frowning. When he saw Ryota's eyes it was already too late. Ryota turned his head, flashing a grin of sharp teeth, a growl escaped from his throat. ''I knew this was going to happen, I knew you wouldn't want me back as your father! But it doesn't matter, because I was gonna eat you anyway!'', he yelled and his teeth clamped themselves around Benji's neck. He pushed hard, forcing Benji down. The yearling struggled, trying to fight back against his father while pushing himself away from the edge of the river; he didn't want to fall in. If that would happen he would end up being taken by the stream, and then it was all over for him. So Benji screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to catch the others' attention.  
''Help! HELP!'', he screamed out and suddenly the grip around his neck was gone. turning around he saw how Ken had grabbed Ryota's tail with his teeth, pulling him away from Benji, while Kagetora, firmly held Ryota by his scruff.  
Spencer rushed himself over to the scene, standing in between Ryota and Benji in a way to try and protect Benji from the Akita's jaws. After all the adult Akita Inu was still growling and snapping at Benji, trying to catch the kid.  
''Let go of me! He deserves to die!'', he yelled angrily and was pushed down to the ground by Kagetora, who held him down firmly.  
''What's up with this dog? What's his problem!?'', the Ken Kai asked with disbelief and annoyance as he saw the Akita Inu struggle. It was then when Ryota bit Kagetora's paw and sent the dog yelping, backing off. With a swift kick from his hind paw he hit Ken's jaw, causing the Great Dane to let go of him. Spencer stood in between him and Benji, but that didn't stop Ryota; the male ran and jumped over the German Shepherd, reaching for Benji. But the Akita yearling was fast and jumped aside, falling to the ground and staring at Ryota, who ended up jumping into the river instead of into his own son.  
Screaming he was dragged away by the stream, splashing and trying to reach the edge. Spencer ran after him, trying to catch him and getting him back on dry land, but he failed and Ryota disappeared in the water, behind the horizon. The German Shepherd looked worried, before turning to stare at Benji and the others, making sure they were alright.

''What was that guy's deal!?'', Kagetora asked furiously, raging. Ken stared at him, growling slightly as sign for the Ken Kai to calm down. Spencer moved over to Benji, shock in his eyes as he eyed the panting dog that lay on the ground.  
''Are you okay, Benji…?'', he asked and the Akita Inu looked up at him, nodding slightly as he kept on panting. There was fear and exhaustion in his green eyes, but also a hint of relief; relief that Ryota was gone. ''He… he drowned, didn't he…?'', Spencer asked again, now glancing over at the three Ōu soldiers; GB, Ken and Kagetora.  
''Most likely… that's a rather fast current. Even if he's a great swimmer, he would still get pushed into rocks and probably lose his consciousness… and if that happens he will drown.'', Ken spoke, eying the river with a blank expression, his brown eyes distant.  
''If he drowns… but what if he doesn't…?'', Benji asked, his body shivering as he got to his paws. Spencer stood by his side, supporting him. Ken looked at the Akita Inu, smiling warmly.  
''Don't think about that now. It's over, he's gone. And I'm glad, because there was a tensed air around him, I didn't really trust him… It was almost like he had rabies, or something like that…''  
''Can we please forget about that filth of a mutt.'', Benji suddenly spoke, his jaws snapping shut as he glared at the Great Dane angrily. There was still fear in his eyes, terror to be more exact. He didn't want to talk about Ryota any longer.  
The dogs looked at the yearling, lowering their head slightly and nodding; their rest was over, they had to continue on their journey to Gajou, and Ken was the first one to move, leading the way. The others followed, all were silent, and Spencer stayed close near Benji, supporting him. He didn't want Benji to feel sad or unsafe, because it seemed like the Akita had a hard time keeping his shivering body under control. He stayed quiet on their whole journey, after that very moment.

The group of dogs continued to move on through the Futago Pass, getting closer and closer to their goal; Gajou, the heart of Ōu's army. And as Spencer looked up after a while and glanced around him, he saw a big pile of stones and rocks rising up behind the horizon; it was Gajou.  
Spencer began to run fast, a huge smile on his face as the only thing he could think of now was meeting Weed and Gin, but especially Weed. He laughed happily, wagging his tail as he ran. The closer he came to the pile of rocks and branches, the more excited he became. It almost made him stumble over his own paws, but he kept his balance and reached the foot of the pile, staring up at it; it was so big, it was huge!  
''This is Gajou? I love it!'', he yipped happily, glancing at the others behind him, who were getting closer. ''Hurry up guys! We're here, we're here!'', Spencer yelled again, wagging his tail even faster. It was then when he heard a noise and looked up. on one of the branches that stuck out there stood a dog, a white one. It was a Kishu Dog, pure white with brown eyes. He looked down at Spencer with a calm expression on his face, his eyes scanning the yearling below.  
''Who are you? Why did you come to Gajou?'', he asked, jumping down from the branch and landing on the ground in front of Spencer. He eyed the kid up and down before smiling at him. ''Not that you cannot stay. But, you came here alone?''  
''No sir, I'm Spencer, GB found us and brought us here. Together with Ken and Kagetora.'', Spencer responded, his tail still wagging. The white Kishu Dog nodded in understanding, glancing at the other dogs coming closer as he then looked back at the German Shepherd.

''You look quite interesting. A mix, I assume? Beautiful blue eyes you got there, you make me jealous.'', he then said ands chuckled, Spencer chuckled as well, laughing for a bit before smiling even brighter and nodding.  
''Yeah, my mother was a German Shepherd, my father… I don't know his name nor what breed of dog he was…'', Spencer mumbled, his words drifting off as he stared at the ground. There was a worried look on the Kishu's face as he stared down at the kid. ''Can you tell what breed my father could have been by looking at me?''  
''Guessing with your blue eyes, he could have been a husky, though… you quite look like a normal German Shepherd, but with other coat colors and a slight hint of another breed, though I'm not sure what breed. But let's not worry about that now, I'm Akame.''  
Spencer looked shocked at the dog called Akame, blinking a few times before getting all excited, jumping up and down.  
''You're Akame? You're the former leader of Iga, those ninja dogs! You were one of Gin's lieutenants together with John before he died in a battle with Hougen!'', the German Shepherd mix said happily, his eyes big and his face bright. Akame looked at him with interest, before chuckling at his words and actions.  
''My my , is there something you don't know about us Ōu soldiers?'', he asked and Spencer shrugged for as far as he could do that, sitting down in front of him. It was then when GB, Ken and Kagetora ended up beside him, William, Sheba and Sam staying behind. Yoru stood in the very back, hiding a bit from the dogs. After all he wasn't really a dog himself, and he didn't want to be seen that quickly, afraid he might be attacked.

''Akame, we have bad news, we need to report to Weed.'', GB said, panting from the run, before stepping closer to Akame, whispering in the Kishu's ear. ''It's important, he needs to know. It's about those wolves.''  
''I see…'', Akame mumbled as GB pulled back, nodding to his words. ''I should see if I can get Weed's attention. If he isn't here we will inform Gin first. After all he's Weed's father and the former leader of Ōu; he should know as well. Tell me more about those wolves.''  
''Wolves? What's up with the wolves?'', a voice suddenly spoke and the dogs looked to the side to see an Akita Inu coming from around the corner. A blue-greyish coated one with white markings and blue eyes, three big scars on his forehead. He had tiger-like stripes on his body, meaning he was a silver brindle type of dog, also known as tora-ge.  
''Gin!'', Ken said as he watched the former leader of Ōu walk over to them, joining into the conversation. Gin seemed quite confused with the situation, eyeing all the dogs around him carefully before speaking again.  
''Who are these dogs, where did you come from? What do you know about the wolves out there in the forest?'', he asked. '''Where's Weed? Does he know about the wolves yet?''  
''No Gin, these dogs just arrived. I don't know their names, except for that German Shepherd mix, his name is Spencer, as for the wolves…'', Akame said, looking at Gin. His voice trailed off, like he was waiting for the other dogs to speak up and inform them.  
''Kenshi, the leader of the wolves, he wants to start war between his pack and Ōu.'', GB said and Gin jerked his head in GB's direction, a confused look in his eyes. It didn't seem like he really believed the English Setter's words. ''He told us himself, that us dogs don't belong here and that they're going to make us pay for taking Gajou from them. They want to take Gajou from us and every part of Ōu's territory. He sent one of his followers to report the news to their General, right in front of us.''  
''Yeah, they quite dare, the filthy beasts…'', Kagetora muttered under his breath, staring at the ground. It was silent for a moment as Gin just stood there, staring in disbelief. After a moment he shook his head, groaning slightly.

''This can't be possible… We have lived in piece with the wolves for a long time. We aren't exactly allies but neither are we enemies. My father Riki even learned the very technique, the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, from a wolf called Fuuga. There is no way wolves want to have war with us.'', Gin finally said, still shaking his head. Staring at the ground he seemed to be thinking, before lifting his head again. ''But then… if it's really true, then maybe it are rebelling wolves wanting to take over Gajou… What did you say was their leader's name again?''  
''Kenshi,'' Ken said, snorting as he spoke the name. ''He looked like a stubborn one, he could become quite a troublesome wolf to us…''  
''Kenshi huh? I can remember a name like that… I remember a wolf named Kenshi who was one of the Zetsu warriors.'', Gin said, once again thinking. ''Though, I could be wrong…''  
''W-what? A Zetsu warrior? So you say he might know how to use the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga?'', Kagetora asked, shock in his eyes.  
''I didn't say that's the case… I said it might be, might.'', Gin responded, looking at Kagetora. The Ken Kai wanted to open his mouth to speak but he was cut off by Gin as the Akita Inu turned around and walked off, towards the entrance of Gajou. '''I will get Weed, we will speak about this matter later when Weed arrives back home. Ken, Kagetora, GB, take care of the newcomers, give them food and water. If they want to stay with Ōu Weed will talk to them later.''  
With those words Gin disappeared into Gajou, leaving the dogs to stand out there; he hadn't seen Yoru, or maybe he had, but he hadn't paid any attention to the wolf.  
''Yes, sir!'', the three Ōu soldiers said before leading the group of dogs and the single wolf around the massive pile of rocks, making sure they would have enough food and water for the rest of the day. After all they hadn't eaten well in quite some time.


	13. Chapter 12

''So it's a large pack of wolves, not sure how many soldiers they have but probably over three hundred, just like Ōu does. After all, if they hadn't that many soldiers like us they probably wouldn't have threaten us yet like this. Their leader is Kenshi, their General is Kurai. What we do know about his followers is that there's one golden coated wolf who doesn't seem too bright, by the name of Hokori. Easy to trick but we shouldn't underestimate him; he seems insane. Some other followers of Kenshi are Kai Zai and Rai, three black coated wolves, all three with brown eyes; they're twins. They seem like good fighters, but most of all good stalkers and spies. We don't know anything about the other followers.'', Ken said as he stood in the circle, eyeing the other dogs one by one.  
The wolves inside Gajou stared up at Ken as they listened carefully, taking in his words. War would probably soon be coming their way and they needed to be prepared; they needed to know more about their enemy. ''Our leader will now discuss with us what to do, who will spy and who will fight. We need good soldiers to protect Ōu but also good soldiers who will fight against these wolves outside the borders of Ōu, if war ever comes. We must be careful.''  
With those last words Ken jumped from the rock in the middle, giving space for the young blue-silver coated tora-ge Akita Inu to jump on the rock and speak to his fellow dogs.  
''I came back to Gajou as soon as I heard the news from Akame. I want to thank these dogs for showing their loyalty to Ōu and telling us about these wolves as soon quick as they possibly could. Hopefully the wolves haven't informed their General yet. If that's the case then we have enough time to think of a plan to defend ourselves but especially Gajou. Though…'', the Akita called Weed spoke as he looked the new dogs' way, staring at them with narrowed eyes. ''Can we really trust that one wolf outside? Yoru?''  
''I'm not sure…'', Sam said, stepping forward a bit. He looked up at Weed, a submissive stance in his body language. ''I don't trust him, though.''

''Why can't Spencer and Benji be here at this meeting? Spencer protected us from that Kenshi by standing his ground, and Benji could be of use as well.'', Kagetora said, looking at Weed with his head tilted to the side a bit, a questioning look in his eyes.  
''Because they're kids. They're too young to fight. I don't want them to end up in this way because it would only damage them.'', Weed spoke and Gin cleared his throat. The two looked at each other, sharing glances, before Gin spoke.  
''I know your intentions on keeping them out are good, Weed, you mean no harm to those kids. But do you remember you were a kid as well when you ended up in a war. You even ended up leading them. If we can revive Riki's old platoon idea for Ōu's soldiers and add that strategy to our fight, maybe one of them could become a platoon leader. You never know.'', Gin said and Weed nodded. The young leader wanted to say something, but Gin cut him off by speaking again, a serious look in his blue eyes. ''We can't keep them out of this discussion. They might still be kids and shouldn't be thrown in a war, yes, but they must be prepared for a war to come. They must know what we are up to, so they can defend themselves when the time comes.''  
''Gin is right. We should let those two back in.'', one of the dogs yelled from the back. Gin looked their way, head tilted to the side a bit.  
''Only the two of them? What about Yoru?'', William asked, sitting down and looking up at Weed. ''He's a wolf, yes, but he's part of us. Or did ya forget about him helping us?''  
''How did he help you?'', Weed asked, his eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for the pug's answer. His tail was curled over his back, his coat was becoming thicker; it was starting to become autumn and colder, winter was coming their way slowly.  
''He hunted food for us and he taught us how to hunt ourselves. We can't hunt big prey yet, but he taught us how to hunt small prey like mice and hares, and rabbits. And he's rather sleek and mute, and silent. He can be of use as a spy or a hunter for the pack. After all he's a wolf, so if he's really on our side then he will spy for us.'', the small dog spoke and Weed nodded understanding.  
''Fair enough. Bring the two yearlings and the wolf in, I want to speak to them as well. Tesshin, go get them for me, please.'', Weed said, looking into the crowd. One of the dogs nodded and went out, a male Shinobi dog.

''Oh look how beautiful the sky is today! Oh, and there is a butterfly!'', Spencer said excitedly as he jumped up and down. He stood in the grass running around in circles while behind him near the entrance of Gajou Yoru chewed on a branch, laying there peacefully. On the other side of the entrance, the left said, laid the young Akita Inu, Benji, an annoyed look in his green eyes as he rested his head on his paws. ''Benji, come on, come play with me! Let's chase the butterfly!'', Spencer said again and he turned his head to look at the yearling, but when no response came from the Akita Spencer looked worried and moved over to him. ''Are you okay? Why won't you come and play?''  
''Because I don't want to…'', Benji muttered, turning his head slightly so he wouldn't have to look at the German Shepherd yearling; instead he stared at one of the rocks which made Gajou stable.  
''W-why not…?'', Spencer asked, he pressed his ears against his skull as he nudged Benji with his muzzle, but all he got as a response was a growl. ''Benji…?''  
''I could have been dead today, and to make it all worse an army of wolves might attack us, and they don't let us inside Gajou to speak to the leader about the situation… How can you think about playing right now when so much has happened today!?''  
''I'm just trying to cheer you up…'', the German Shepherd spoke, a thudding sound caught both the yearlings' attention and they turned to look at Yoru who was poking a stone in front of them with the branch he was holding between his jaws. he looked at the two kids with a bored look in his eyes, but he sure seemed to want them to shut up and mind their own business now. at least, Spencer thought that was his intention, why he had caught their attention.

''Benji, Spencer, Yoru; our leader wants to speak to you. You can enter Gajou and join the meeting.'', a voice suddenly spoke and they looked up to see a male Shinobi dog; he had a dark coat with a cream muzzle, chest and belly, as well as his legs and paws. He had dark spots all over his body and stripes on his face, just below his brown eyes.  
''Who are you?'', Spencer asked and the dog walked over to them, a serious look on his face. He started pushing Spencer towards the entrance of Gajou. In the meantime Benji and Yoru stood up, Yoru tossing his branch away, and followed obediently. ''I'm Tesshin, one of Ōu's soldiers. Now go inside, we're all waiting for you guys.''  
''O-okay.'', Spencer responded and a bright smile crept on his face. He started to run, causing Tesshin who had been pushing him to stumble and fall on the ground. Spencer laughed at him and ran into Gajou, leaving the dog to grumble in annoyance and slowly get to his paws, running after them.  
''They're waiting for you in the heart of Gajou, follow me. There are a few paths going through Gajou and since you haven't been here before I will have to lead you there, otherwise you might get lost.'', Tesshin said as he ran past the three, stepping in front of them. He lead them through the tunnels towards all the dogs that waited for them; it almost looked like a complete maze. ''Leader, I brought the three.''  
''that's great Tesshin, let them step forward.'', Weed spoke as he looked down at the two dogs and the wolf. ''Welcome to Gajou, I assume you're here to stay with Ōu?''

''Yeah, we came all the way here to join Ōu. We wanted to become a wild dog like you were, we wanted to meet you and Gin.'', Spencer said, wagging his tail happily. He was once again excited because he was now looking at his biggest hero. ''We're so happy to be here!''  
''Yeah, you probably are…'', Weed responded, looking at the German Shepherd mix with a worried look in his blue eyes. ''However, there might be a war coming our way. We have to make a plan in order to defend Gajou. And since you brought the news about the army of wolves together with the others, we give you a chance to be our soldiers, as well.''  
''Ōu's soldiers? Me? Really!?'', Spencer yipped happily and Weed sighed in irritation, growling at the yearling, causing him to shut up and stare at him in confusion.  
''Listen! We need to have a plan in case the wolves really come our way with bad intentions!'', Weed spoke, looking at Gin for a moment before speaking again, this time face directed at the crowd again, his head held high. ''We will put my grandfather's plan in action again; Riki's plan for platoons. However, I will change the platoons slightly. There will no longer be twelve platoons but only four; one for north, one for east, one for south and one for west.''  
''But, how are we going to do this? I mean, who are you going to assign for the job as platoon leader? Who will be part of which platoon?'', GB asked, sitting down and curling his tail around his body. He seemed confused but still rather relaxed; after all they seemed to have some sort of plan beginning to unfold.  
''My father and I will assign the platoon leaders, because my father is still our General, after all.'', Weed said, before looking at Ben, a Great Dane just like Ken, ken's father. ''You're old, Ben, but still a great fighter. I want you to be the leader of platoon number one, north.''  
''Me? Platoon leader again? I've missed those old days.'', the Great Dane said, grinning at his words. ''Count me in, leader, I will make you proud~''

''Now that we've chosen the leader for the first platoon, I would like to assign Akame as leader of the second platoon, east. Tesshin will be your advisor and helper in times of need.'', Gin said, jumping on the rock to join his son. He looked at the Kishu dog who nodded, smiling. The dog didn't say anything though; he agreed on the choice, so he didn't have to say anything more in response. Gin looked at Weed, wanting his son to assign the leader for the third platoon. ''Choose, leader. I know you will choose wise.''  
''Okay,'' Weed spoke, lifting his head as he glanced around the crowd of dogs. ''For the third platoon I want to assign as leader… Kurotora, south. Kagetora, you're your father's advisor and helper. The same goes for you, Ken; you're Ben's advisor and helper. As for the fourth platoon leader, I would like to assign Kyos-''  
''Spencer, you're the fourth platoon's leader.'', Gin cut Weed off, causing a riot in Gajou's heart; none of the dogs seemed satisfied with Gin's answer. Not even Weed agreed with him. He stared at Gin with big eyes before growling loudly.  
''Why not Kyoshiro? Why that yearling? He can't be a platoon leader, he knows nothing of fighting!'', Weed yelled angrily but Gin looked away from his son, staring down at Spencer who looked up at the older Akita Inu with wide eyes, his body trembled slightly by the sudden adrenaline and shock.  
''I choose Spencer, and Benji, you will be his advisor and helper. To make sure the platoon acts well, we will soon assign an advisor for you two, an adult.'', Gin said and Weed looked now even more confused, not understanding why his father didn't choose an advisor right now. ''Why not assign an advisor? What are you planning? What are you planning, father!?''  
Gin didn't look at Weed as he spoke, staring at the walls of Gajou like his mind was somewhere else, his tail curled over his back, a calm expression on his eyes like his son's words didn't bother him.

''An advisor will be assigned soon.'', he spoke softly, yet steady, loud enough for everyone to hear. ''They're coming our way, I can feel it; it friends and new friends. I will assign one of them as the advisor for the fourth platoon. As for the other dogs, you can either join one of the four different platoons. I want to assign William the pug and Yoru the wolf as our special spies.''  
Again there was a riot, dogs yelling as they disagreed. One of the dogs in the crowd spoke, his eyes focused on Gin. ''You trust the wolf well enough?''  
''He was banished by his pack for useless reasons. He joined the dogs instead to live, I don't trust him but now that he's part of Ōu he must follow our orders and be loyal to us, not the wolves.'', Gin responded and he looked with a calm expression at the wolf, yet his posture held tension. ''If only he could talk, he could have told us more about these wolves, but that isn't the case… I want them to spy on the wolves. Yoru is mute and sleek, he can easily stalk and his muteness gives him the advantage in this job. As for William; he's small so he can easily hide. And small dogs mostly aren't seen as a threat, so the wolves will spare him because they don't see him as a danger.''  
''But why Spencer as a platoon leader? He's still so young…'', Weed asked, whispering in his father's ear. Gin looked at his son finally and rested his lips close near Weed's ear, whispering back: ''He reminds me of you, young but fierce and one of justice. He might become a great platoon leader with some practice. I mean, you made it, too, didn't you? And now you're leader of Ōu, that's a great honor.''  
Gin pulled back and winked at his son before looking back at the crowd of dogs, speaking up again. ''We have over three hundred soldiers, probably just as much as the wolves will have. We will divide us all over the four platoons, around seventy to eighty dogs for each platoon, got it? Discuss with each other what platoon to follow. This meeting is dismissed now, go mind your own business.''

With those words Gin jumped from the rock and with a lot of yelling and disagreement from his fellow dogs he left Gajou to go outside. Weed sighed and jumped down the rock as well, following his father. He heard paw steps behind him and turned his head to see an excited Spencer coming his way.  
''Weed! Weed! Now that we finally meet, I have so many questions to ask you!'', he said and Weed sighed once more, this time in irritation. ''Weed?''  
''I don't know why my father assigned you as the fourth platoon leader. Well, he actually told me why but I don't stand the idea.'', Weed said as he turned around to face the kid, their noses almost touching, his blue eyes narrowed as he had an angry expression on his face. ''You better be a good platoon leader and help us defend Gajou against the wolves, actually fight in this war, if you want to keep me pleased, got it? Now go and leave me alone, scram.''  
Weed turned back around, following his father out of Gajou. Spencer stood there with a dazed expression, staring at Weed with his ears pressed against his head and his tail tucked between his legs. This wasn't the Weed his mother had often told him about. What had happened to the awesome leader with the golden heart and the feeling for fair justice Spencer had always heard about?


	14. Chapter 13

''What do you think?'', a black coated wolf with brown eyes spoke, looking at a wolf-dog mix laying next to him. both were hiding behind the bushes, their eyes set on a patrolling group of wild dogs. ''They belong to Ōu, that pack that has Gajou in their paws right now.''  
''Kai, where are Zai and Rai right now?'', the half breed asked, his eyes focused on the dogs as he ignored the wolf's words. His curly dog-like tail was curled over his back, completely motionless. He had a brown and a blue eye, and a mixed coat of browns, greys and white. He looked like a dog, but in fact this creature's mother was a wolf, his father a dog, an Alaskan Malamute-Husky mix to be more exact.  
Kai looked at him with a confused look, before grinning, showing off his sharp teeth. ''What? You know I'm Kai? How can you even tell us apart?'', he asked, actually pretty much curious for his the half-breed's answer.  
''I just can. You're the oldest, you act the most adult-like, out of the three of you. Rai is the youngest, but he still has his manners. Zai is the middle one, but he acts like a total fool at times. The only time it's hard to tell you three apart is when you are together, standing beside each other.'', he said, smiling as he seemed to be thinking, getting to his paws suddenly. ''Let's go talk to those dogs, shall we?''  
''G-General Kurai! No!'', Kai said, a shocked expression on his face as he looked at his General who was ready to leave their hiding place. ''You can't go like that, all wolves are suspicious in their eyes, do you wanna get caught!''  
The black wolf jumped to his paws and tackled General Kurai, forcing him onto the ground. He stayed on top of him, growling at him, but the sound was so soft, it was almost soundless. ''You can't just march in like that! We need you, you are our General. You should stop being a fool, General Kurai. If they find you and take you in, Kenshi will kill me…!'', he snarled and Kurai looked up at him, chuckling, a grin spread across his face.

''Oh, you're so serious.'', he responded, pushing the male off of him with his paws, before rolling back onto his belly and wagging his curly tail. He turned his head to look at Kai again, a smile on his face. ''You're too serious for my liking.''  
''And you're too old for these kind of games… We're in war, General.'', Kai said, an annoyed look on his face. He walked up next to Kurai and started nudging the mixed breed, forcing him up. ''Pull yourself together and act like a General for once.''  
''I do that a lot, you know. I'm always by Kenshi's side, I always give him advice and lead the troops, whether it are wars or hunts. I can have a day off, too, you know. And yeah, I know you're gonna say 'not right now', but I don't care. I'm done being serious for today.'', the male said as he finally got to his paws, stretching his limbs and yawning. ''Well, we better get back to Kenshi and report… boring.''  
''Did you hear anything?'', suddenly a voice called out. It didn't take long before another voice answered to the other. ''And I smell wolves, they're here!''  
''Oh no, we got spotted! Hurry up General! Get back to Kenshi!'', Kai said, bumping into Kurai with his head and pushing him, trying to get him to move. ''G-go, General!''  
General Kurai nodded and started running, leaving the hiding place and moving off into the deeper parts of the woods. He ran as fast as he could, not looking behind to see if Kai was following him.  
But it didn't matter, because Kai would get lost either way, and Kurai didn't really care about Kai or the other two brothers.  
''Let go of me!'', Kai said as he was forced to the ground, kicking and screaming at the four dogs that had cornered him and attacked him. now they were holding him down, to make sure he wouldn't get away.

''Let go of me you bastards!'', he screamed, lifting his head and crying out for help, for General Kurai. ''General! Help me! These filthy dogs got me! Help me! Don't leave me here! I will kill you if you leave me here!''  
''Shut up and calm down, it's not like we will kill you.'', one of the dogs said, the one standing beside him. It was a black coated Labrador Retriever with brown eyes, a serious look on his face. The other one holding Kai down was a brown coated Great Dane with brown eyes; Ben. Behind him stood his son Ken and the Kai Ken, Kagetora.  
Ben looked at the black Labrador Retriever, nodding his head like a sign for the dog to go report. ''Go back to Ōu and tell Weed and Gin first platoon has caught an intruder, a wolf.'', he ordered and the black dog nodded, glancing one last time at the wolf with an angry expression before running off, leaving for his duties.  
''Who are you? Why were you spying on us? Was it for your leader, Kenshi? His orders?'', Kagetora asked, growling at Kai. The fur on his back bristled slightly as he glanced down at the cornered wolf. ''Tell us or you will die!''  
''Easy Kage! Give the wolf time to answer.'', Ken said, turning his head to look at Kai again. ''Now, speak up, wolf.''  
''No! These lips are sealed! Do whatever you want with me, I won't tell anything!'', Kai responded, still kicking and struggling with his four paws and all his might. ''You will never know where our leader is, you will never know where General Kurai went! Never!''  
''Wait, that other one was General Kurai?'', Ben asked confused and Kagetora let out a sigh of frustration, looking at the blue sky while yelling impatiently and agitatedly: ''Aaargh, we should have tackled the other one! That was the wolves' General? You can't be serious! Why did we end up tackling a useless follower!?''

''I am not useless! I am a noble fighter, a warrior! I serve my lord with my life and when ordered by him I do everything for him! I keep secrets, I fight wars, I kill useless dogs like you who don't deserve to live!'', Kai snarled, drool now dripping from his jaws as his struggling caused him to run out of breath. Ben was still holding him, pushing him down on his chest, and this made him barely unable to breathe. ''Go die somewhere!''  
''Shut up!'', Ken said, pushing his paw into the wolf's face. He sighed afterwards, calming down again, and he looked at Ben. ''Father, this one won't budge like this. We need to take him to Ōu. He needs… special treatment in order to tell us something we must know.''  
''You're right. I prefer not use those methods, though.'', he said to Ken, before looking at Kai, addressing the wolf this time, his eyes narrowed. ''We were going to ask you questions and then let you go, but since you're not willing to tell us anything we are forced to take you in as our prisoner.''  
Kai swallowed as he stared up at Ben, fear in his brown eyes. He stopped struggling after that, however, and laid his head on the ground, staring off into the distance. There was a pained look on his face as he bit his lip, forcing himself to not look in the Great Dane's eyes anymore. ''I don't care. Whatever you try, I will never tell anything. Do whatever you want with me, dog…'', he mumbled, trying to hold back tears in his eyes.  
The three dogs looked at each other for a moment, as if they were discussing something in silence. After a few seconds Ben sighed and turned his head back towards Kai, his brown eyes on him, narrowed.  
''Fine then, guess we have no choice.'', he said and he looked at Ken and then at Kagetora, who stood behind him. ''We will take him to Ōu. Weed and Gin will decide what to do with this wolf.'' He stepped away from Kai, giving the wolf a chance to breathe. But it wasn't a very long chance, because Ken and Kagetora were soon on him, forcing him down once more so he couldn't flee. Kai was forced to his paws and dragged along by his scruff by the younger Great Dane, Ken. _''I won't tell anything, I promise, Kenshi…''_

Spencer sat on the edge of a rather deep-going hill, staring off into the distance. He perked his ears and turned his head when he heard paw steps coming his way. It was Benji, the Akita Inu yearling. The dog had a serious expression on his face. Spencer smiled at him, wagging his tail, but his happy greeting wasn't returned. Benji stopped and just stared at him, there was a hint of irritation in his green eyes.  
''What's wrong, Benji? You don't seem so happy.'', Spencer asked, his smile fading. He looked worried at the yearling, hoping his friends would tell him about his problems. Benji sighed and walked closer to Spencer, stopping just behind him. His stance forced Spencer to get up and turn around so he had a better look at him.  
''I just don't get why you were assigned as fourth platoon leader. You lack all the skills a leader must have. You're too innocent and childish.'', Benji responded finally, glancing away; he avoided Spencer's eyes on purpose, even though Spencer didn't know why.  
''I don't know either… but they just did. If you don't like me being this platoon's leader I gotta say I agree with you; I don't want this either, not anymore…'', Spencer said, swallowing. He glanced at the ground. ''At first I thought it was an honor, but we're at war and I realized I don't know how to fight, nor how to lead any wild dogs…''  
''They should have assigned me, not you.'', Benji said bluntly, his head jolting up as he stared Spencer straight in his blue eyes. ''I am way more serious than you are, they should have assigned me.''  
''Do you know how to fight? Because I can remember with your father last time you fled, you tried to hide, you froze… You've changed since then, Benji. You don't really smile anymore. Why…?''  
''Why would I smile when we're at war?'', the Akita Inu yearling snarled. He averted his eyes again and turned around, walking away from Spencer. ''Whatever… it are wolves; we're all doomed anyway.''

''Don't say that!'', Spencer spoke quickly, running after Benji and catching up to him. ''We are wild dogs, and I'm sure with the amount of soldiers we have, we stand a good chance against those wolves. Don't give up already when you even haven't tried anything yet.'', he added to his last sentence, catching up on his breath.  
Benji stopped, causing Spencer to bump into him, and he turned his head to look at the German Shepherd mix. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, before a weak smile was forced on his face.  
''I guess they made the right choice after all choosing you.'', he said, chuckling softly before moving on again. ''We don't have many dogs in our platoon; I guess the Ōu soldiers don't really trust you… But don't worry, we're with enough to stop a large group of wolves.''  
''Wait, Benji…'', Spencer said, one ear forward as his other ear was pushed back towards his neck. He looked at the Akita Inu with a worried expression as he held up his right front paw; a sign he was unsure. Benji stopped again and turned his head once more at him, a questioning look on his face. ''Who are part of our platoon?''  
''You and me, of course. And Yoru, that wolf. And then there's William. Sam and Sheba went to another platoon, I don't know which one, though… They don't trust you, but even though William is often rather agitated with you, he seems to trust you. He promised to help us, with whatever he can do for us during this war.'', Benji said and Spencer nodded, biting his lip. ''And we have Tesshin on our side, and Kyoshiro, as that annoying dog's called… But he's good at fighting, he's training the other right now in combat. Our platoon exists out of… fifty wolves. Pretty much a lot, still.''  
Benji sounded like he was deep in thought, like he wasn't speaking to Spencer but talking to himself, repeating everything he knew, just so he wouldn't forget. ''Gin told me after we were assigned for this platoon that more dogs will be coming our way to help us out, though. And he and Weed were going to back us up, as well. So there's no need to worry, we have enough soldiers.''  
With those words Benji walked off, leaving Spencer alone near the edge of the hill. Spencer sighed and turned back around, returning to his post, staring off into the distance, like he was guarding the platoon he had to lead.

He felt someone nudge his shoulder and almost jumped up in shock, snapping his head around to see the small wolf, Yoru, standing behind him. There was a hint of worry in his eyes, a dead rabbit dangling between his jaws. He nudged Spencer again and then dropped the rabbit, shoving it towards Spencer with his nose. He lifted his head and started at the German Shepherd, waiting for the yearling to actually get to eating it.  
''For me?'', Spencer asked and Yoru nodded, taking a step back to give Spencer more space to move, but he didn't take his eyes off the kid for a second. There was a small wag from his tail, but no signs of happiness in his eyes or on his face; no smile.  
''Okay then, thank you…'', Spencer bumbled, a sad glance in his eyes as he looked down at the prey. Yoru nodded and sat down, still watching him. Spencer looked at Yoru for a moment before laying down and chewing on the dead animal. As he swallowed after a few bites, he looked up at Yoru again, a worried look in his eyes.  
''Yoru, I want to ask you something. You pack chased you off, I saw it happen, but I got to be sure…'', he said and Yoru tilted his head to the side a bit, looking at the yearling in confusion. ''Are you really on our side? It might have all been a trick to get us to accept you. I'm not saying I don't trust you, but if you betray us, I will probably get killed for bringing you to Ōu and bringing my platoon and whole Ōu in danger…''  
Yoru now looked even more confused, before sighing and shaking his head, sitting down in front of Spencer. He looked at the German Shepherd mix with big eyes, like a puppy's, like he was trying to look cute and innocent. Spencer chuckled, smiling weakly. ''Guess you're right. you wouldn't be the type to betray us. You're on our side, right?''  
Yoru nodded and smiled weakly for a split second, before his face faded back to nothing at all. He got up and stepped closer to Spencer, nuzzling the yearling, causing the kid to giggle and wag his tail. Yoru wagged his ail in response and got up, moving away from Spencer. Spencer looked at him, smiling weakly, but deep down inside it didn't feel right. ''I hope I can trust you, Yoru…''


	15. Chapter 14

The mixed breed ran as fast as he could through the deep parts of the forest, his tongue out of his jaws slammed back by the wind. He forced himself to stop for only a few seconds to catch his breath, but the fear and the adrenaline in the back of his mind and inside his body told him to run, and forced him to move, so not long after taking a deep breath he returned to his running, dashing through the forest and jumping over fallen trees and over bushes.  
On his way he got caught by a bush with thorns and he groaned as it stung into his flesh, but he managed to pull himself out, leaving small tufts of fur behind around the thorns. Stumbling over his own paws Kurai fell on the sandy ground and rolled down the hill, straight into his pack's camp where his fellow pack mates were resting or eating.  
Many of them looked up and quickly rushed over to greet their General, but the pained and scared look on Kurai's face made them back off and watch the male with worry as the half breed struggled to get to his paws.  
''W-what are you standing there!? Where is Kenshi!? I need to speak to Kenshi!'', General Kurai snarled loudly, forcing the wolves to move and flee in every direction, some of them hiding in fear and others asking around for their leader. ''Kenshi! Kenshi…!''  
''General!'', a black coated wolf with brown eyes called out, he was followed by another wolf who looked exactly like him; Zai and Rai, Kai's brothers. Two of the three triplets. Kurai swallowed and took a step back, watching the two wolves reach him in fear. ''What's happened!? Speak to us! Where is Kai!?''  
''K-Kai… He… he is…'', Kurai mumbled, before he was cut off by a loud yell. Looking up he saw it was Kenshi, emerging from the dark parts of the forest, stepping into the light. He had an angry expression on his face, but as soon as he saw Kurai it turned into worry and he dashed over.

''Kurai, are you hurt? What happened? Where is Kai? I thought he was with you.'', Kenshi spoke, his amber eyes focused on his most trustworthy General, his only General. ''I swear Kurai, if we had lost you I wouldn't know what to do… speak up, what happened? Don't make me worry too much about nothing.''  
''It's not… nothing… Kenshi.'', Kurai spoke, glancing at Zai and Rai. He looked back at Kenshi and rolled his eyes at the two black wolves and back at his leader, as if he wanted Kenshi to send the two brothers away.  
''Rai, Zai, go. Let us be for a moment.'', Kenshi spoke, understanding his General's actions. The two brothers refused and complained, they kept asking for Kai, but Kurai didn't open his mouth to speak and Kenshi kept on pushing them away. When they didn't leave, Kenshi called out a few of his other followers, and they grabbed the two brothers by their scruff and pulled them away from the two older wolves. ''Now, tell me what happened.''  
Kurai took a deep breath and lowered his head, staring at the ground. As he tried to speak his body started shivering, he whimpered slightly as tears started rolling down his cheek.  
''A group of patrolling dogs found us, dogs belonging to Ōu… They took Kai… I was messing around, I should have watched over him, stayed there with him and fight to protect him, but I was being a child again, and Kai told me to run, so I fled… They attacked him, I don't know what happened to him… What if he's dead, Kenshi? Then it's all my fault… Zai and Rai will be heartbroken…'', he finally whispered, he was no longer able to stop his tears from falling, and they came streaming down. He bowed his head deeply, his brown and blue eyes closed firmly. ''I'm so sorry Kenshi, I'm not worthy to be the General. I failed you…''  
''Hush, Kurai, You did not fail me. you are the best General this pack could have. You might act like a fool sometimes but when you lead our army you are fearless and a great leader. I don't think Kai is dead; dogs are too stupid, they keep prisoners instead of killing the ones they catch. We will get Kai back, I promise…'', Kenshi whispered, nuzzling Kurai's forehead once before turning around, his amber eyes growing cold and narrowing. ''…for we are wolves, and the dogs are our slaves. I will make them pay for what they've done, those filthy mutts… Worthless creatures!''

''Spencer, anything's happened yet?'', a voice asked and Spencer opened his eyes. He had been sitting there all night on the very same spot near the edge, and he had dozed off. He blinked a few times and turned his had to see Tesshin, the Shinobi dog which had brought Spencer, Benji and Yoru to the important meeting about Kenshi's pack when the three had been locked out of Gajou.  
''Nothing much. There are no signs of danger below. We are fine, for now.'', Spencer responded and Tesshin nodded, smiling encouraging at the kid.  
''You're doing a great job as the fourth platoon's leader, guarding us for any danger. But here, my good Spencer…'', Tesshin spoke and Spencer looked confused at him, getting to his paws. ''…is where I take over your guarding shift.''  
''What? Why? Guarding is the only good thing I can do, watching over the hills like this… What else could I possibly do for the pack right now besides that?'', Spencer asked and Tesshin chuckled, walking over to the yearling and pushing him aside, causing the kid to yelp in surprise.  
''Hunt, of course. A few dogs were hungry so we set up a hunting party with Yoru as the leader. He can't speak though, so I wanted you to be the leader and him the co-leader, since you two seem to understand each other. And if there's one dog or wolf in this platoon which can hunt amazingly and might be able to teach us new tricks, then it's Yoru.''  
''You trust him?'', Spencer asked and Tesshin looked away from him, sitting down and staring out over the hills and the mountains far away. He mumbled in response: ''Not really, but if he's willing to cooperate in this hunt, we might be able to learn a few new hunting tricks which might as well be turned into tricks used in combat… ''  
''I see… well, I hope we manage to learn something new from him.'', Spencer said and Tesshin nodded, before looking at the yearling with a smile.  
''That's why I trust you. You go lead that hunting party and try to study Yoru on your way.'', the Shinobi dog said and Spencer nodded, swallowing. He turned around and ran down the hill to meet the other platoon dogs for the hunt. Tesshin followed the kid with his eyes before turning his head and looking at the sky. ''If only we knew Yoru's motives…''

Gin and Weed moved through the open area around Gajou, their walk quiet and peaceful. Gin looked up at the blue sky, noticing dark clouds coming their way. he then moved his head to look at Weed, an indifferent expression on his face. Weed noticed his father staring at him and looked up in confusion, his ears pressed back slightly.  
''Father, what's wrong?'', he asked and he stopped moving, staring at his father who stopped as well and took a few steps back to stand beside him, still not showing any expression at all.  
''You are a great leader, Weed. But there's something I've come to notice.'', he said and Weed frowned, standing there in utter silence. ''You have grown different over time. Ever since you became Ōu's new leader I saw this concerning change in you. You've always cared about others around you, but when I chose Spencer to be the fourth platoon's temporary leader, you turned yourself against my argument. Why, may I ask?''  
''Because it's just a kid… He can't hunt, so how is he even going to defend himself during way? He wasn't born in the wild, he was born in a city with humans, as a stray dog. He will never become like us.'', Weed responded, pressing his ears back fully now and glancing away from his father, an agitated face.  
''Is this really you speaking, my son?'', Gin asked and Weed shrugged slightly, causing Gin to smile weakly for a brief second. He nudged his son, grinning at him. ''I thought you were quite like Spencer when you were around the age he is today. I never really got to know you as a child, but from what I know you were in war with another pack of dogs when you were only around four to six months old, and you even lead the Ōu soldiers. You came to save me, took back Gajou and fought Hougen on your own, and you won. And now, you are Ōu's leader, a new bear hound legend.''  
''And what are you trying to tell me?'', Weed asked, sarcasm in his voice. Gin looked confused at him before sighing and huffing, playfully bumping into Weed's shoulder causing the dog to almost stumble.

''What's I'm trying to tell you is that you fought a war when you weren't even a year old, and you even lead the pack. Spencer is now older than you were at that time. I'm sure he can handle things himself. You shouldn't worry about him so much, he looks a lot like you in the way he acts and how he treats his fellow dogs, I tell you.'', Gin said and Weed huffed before smiling weakly.  
''Yes, I guess you're right…'', he mumbled and Gin grinned again his face holding a 'I-told-you-so ' look. The two of them started walking again, Gin looking at the sky as Weed stared at the ground. ''Father… am I becoming a bad leader…? I've the feeling I don't really care anymore about the others. And the thought about Spencer leading a platoon just agitates me…'', the young Akita Inu then asked, causing Gin to stop in his tracks again and looking at his son.  
''No, you are just having some stressful time as a leader. Every leader loses their cool once in a while, or might feel indifferent about their followers and fellow dogs. But this doesn't mean you're becoming a bad leader. You just need some time to rest and take your mind of things.'', Gin said and he smiled again weakly, nudging Weed's cheek. ''Why don't you calm down and give your leading duties to me for a while. Please trust me, I know what I'm doing.''  
''Yeah okay, that might sound like a plan… And you know I will always trust you, father. After all you were Ōu's leader before me and you've done a great job~''  
''Maybe, or maybe not… When Kaibutsu attacked Gajou I wasn't there to protect Ōu. I was out on patrol with other dogs. When I got called back I realized how serious the situation was, and I had never seen your mother again after that day…'', Gin said, sighing. ''A few months later Hook found John, Akame and me and told us Sakura, your mother had died and that you were looking for me. That was the last thing I had heard of her before I got to know you.''  
''Well, as a former Ōu leader, you're here now to fend for the pack.'', Weed said and with a smile and Gin looked at his son, nodding and mumbling: ''Yeah you're right. I'm here now and I won't let you down.''

''Sssh father!'', Weed suddenly said and he lifted his head, looking up and around him. Gin looked confused at him, looking around as well. He asked Weed what was wrong but his son moved away and Gin followed in silence until Weed spoke again, still walking. ''I heard something. Voices. And I smell blood. Something's not right…''  
The two tora-ges ran off towards the source of the voices and the scent of blood, sand whirling up between their paws as they tried to get over there as quickly as possible. When they ran around the huge lower stones that held Gajou together and standing, they found the source of the blood; two dogs covered in wounds. They seemed alright, but their wounds were pretty deep. An old Irish Wolfhound and an adult Doberman.  
''Who are you? What happened?'', Weed asked, worry in his voice, but there was also a hint of anger in his voice; he wasn't sure who these dogs were, but even though they were wounded, they might not be good dogs just wandering off into Ōu's territory like this. But once Weed noticed the Irish Wolfhound, he took a step forward, his ears pressed against his skull. ''W-Weston? But I thought you had retired as Ōu soldier and left to roam Japan…? Why did you return, and how did you become wounded like this?''  
''It's a long story… I had reached this city, a group of stray dogs was willing to become wild dogs and meet you, I tried to bring them here… Boss here is one of these dogs.'', Weston said, coughing for a moment. Weed looked at Boss and nodded a greeting, the Doberman nodded back. ''This young kid… Spencer. He was with us, one of those stray dogs. We were tired, hungry and thirsty, and we found a village which the kid entered. Not long after we were attacked by a pack of cannibalistic dogs, they tried to kill us… We told them to leave and fought them to keep them back. after that we lost sight of Spencer and the others, but we finally made it here…''

After he was done speaking Weston collapsed to the ground and Weed quickly moved over to him, licking his wounds, while Gin attended to support the wounded Boss. Weston lifted his head panting heavily and he smiled at Weed who looked worried at him, one eye closed.  
''Don't worry about me, leader. We've both had a long journey here and are just extremely tired… We will survive. We've made it all the way from there to over here, and that was a long run.'', Weston said and he chuckled before dropping his head and closing his eyes, falling asleep. He indeed was exhausted. Weed looked up at Gin who nodded, and the younger Akita Inu moved closer to Weston, picking the dog up carefully and carrying him on his back.  
''Please get inside Gajou and rest, Boss. go rest with Weston.'', Weed said and Boss nodded, his legs shaking slightly. How much Boss didn't want to admit it with words, he had to agree he was tired as well, and needed his rest. ''We will get you something to eat and drink. we still have a few more soldiers here who defend Gajou when the wolves manage to get past our four platoons.''  
The three dogs moved inside Gajou, Boss limping after them a little bit. When he and Weston finally laid down in a corner, Boss pressing his body against Weston's to share their warmth, he looked up at Weed with a dazed expression.  
''Did Spencer and the others make it? Are they safe…?'', he asked and Weed smiled weakly, nodding at the Doberman. He mumbled in response, before turning around: ''Yes, they are all fine. Spencer and Benji are with the fourth platoon, together with that pug… William? Sam and Sheba have gone to another platoon, I think.''  
Boss smiled weakly, a look of relief on his face. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, dozing off to sleep. Weed watched the two in silence before looking at Gin, who stared back at Weed.  
''You didn't mention Yoru, the wolf.'', he said and Weed huffed, walking past Gin and responding with: ''He doesn't need to know. I don't want to cause anything and since I assume they don't know about Yoru yet, I will let Spencer tell them about the wolf…''  
''I see…'', Gin whispered, before following Weed towards the entrance. He looked back at Boss for a moment before looking back at Weed and smiling. ''We've found a leader for the fourth platoon who can help Spencer and Benji.''


	16. Chapter 15

''So, Gin and Weed gave you quite a hard task, didn't they.'', Boss spoke as he moved over to the yearling sitting near the edge once more. He limped slightly and soon collapsed down beside him, in a sitting position. A few weeks had passed after Boss and Weston had arrived at Gajou, and Spencer had been informed about their return; he had been so happy and grateful when he heard they were still alive.  
''Yeah, but I can manage. Now that you're here, that is.'', Spencer said in response and he looked up at Boss, smiling brightly. His tail wagged rapidly. ''I'm so glad to see you back. I was worried I would never see you again, but you survived; I'm so glad…'', he said after that, a tear rolling down his cheek as he looked away for a moment. ''I'm sorry I got you all into so much trouble, serious trouble…''  
''Don't mention it; Weston and I both returned and we are alright. I was more worried about you than you probably were about me and Weston.'', Boss said and he chuckled, winking at Spencer. He nudged the yearling's shoulder, his small cut-off tail wagging in response to Spencer's tail wagging. For as far as you could see his tail was wagging, of course. ''I'm so glad you're alright, too.''  
''Thank you, Boss. You don't know how happy I am to hear that. After we thought we had lost you and Weston, Sheba and Sam started blaming me, especially Sam… And even William avoided me for a while…''  
''Yeah, Sam can be a headstrong dog sometimes, arrogant and sarcastic, I know a lot about him. Because he used to be one of my followers when I was a pack's leader.'', Boss responded, looking up at the sky. ''And Sheba is his best friend so it's no wonder they back each other up. But… I hope they weren't too harsh on you…''  
''No, it's okay. They weren't. I'm used to being ignored and avoided by others, whether it be dogs or humans.'', Spencer said, staring off into the distance, his blue eyes holding no expression at all; like it didn't bother him. ''Oh…'', Boss mumbled bluntly, his voice trailing off as he followed Spencer's gaze over the huge forest ahead of them.

''Well, I would never ignore you, Spencer. You know that, right? I would always be by your side to try and protect you if needed.'', Boss said and he looked at Spencer, smiling. The yearling looked up at him, a shocked expression on his face, his blue eyes staring up questioning. Boss chuckled and grinned, poking the German Shepherd mix's shoulder with his paw. ''Because you're like a son to me.''  
He let out a sigh, staring off into the distance again. Spencer glanced at him, a worried look in his eyes. He scooted a bit closer next to Boss and rested his head against the massive dog's shoulder, glancing at the mountains ahead of them.  
''Why?'', he asked the Doberman, who looked down at him, one of his ears perked while the other one was pressed a bit backwards towards his neck. ''Why do you see me like that?''  
''Because you remind me of my own son.'', Boss responded, looking back up at the sky again. ''He wasn't a German Shepherd but a Doberman just like me. I had a litter of four pups around a year ago, around the same time you were born, probably. One daughter and three sons. My mate died of an illness and my daughter soon after passed away because I couldn't feed her enough. My three sons managed to survive, two of them were taken away by humans, they got found on the street and adopted because they looked more like their mother; a Labrador Retriever. My son, who I just told you, looked like a Doberman, like me, got left behind and stayed with me. Just after I became leader of that pack of mine, my son got killed by humans. He had stolen food, and since he was a Doberman the humans feared he was dangerous and probably sick, so they killed him, beat him to death with a stick… I was there when it happened, I tried to protect him. It was the first time I tasted human blood… After that I too was feared around the city by humans, and I began to use their fear as my advantage to get me good food.''  
Boss fell silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about his son and the things he had been through a long time ago. He finally looked at Spencer again, smiling weakly. There was still a hint of sadness in his eyes, but it faded once he glanced at Spencer. ''You remind me of him because my son was almost as adventurous and outgoing as you are today. He was a rascal, a brat, he didn't listen to me, and so did you. That's why I took a liking to you only a few minutes after we had met; you reminded me of him.''

''What was his name?'', Spencer asked, looking up at Boss with curiosity in his eyes. Boss chuckled again, his small tail wagging softly. He whispered, his eyes on the mountains again: ''Enapay, it means 'Brave' in Native American. Because he was brave. Because he kept on going rill the end. He always bragged about how I was old and how he would protect me, and when the humans killed him he kept on fighting till his last breath. He was quite restless…''  
Again a chuckle escaped his throat, but soon after sadness filled his brown eyes. He kept on staring, his mouth shut; he seemed to be biting his lip. Spencer saw tears glistering in his eyes. Tears that wouldn't ever fall because Boss didn't want them to.  
''Boss, if you want to I can be your son.'', Spencer said and Boss looked at him, his head turning around quickly; there was a shocked expression on his face. ''I never had a father anyway, my mother told me he was caught by humans and brought to the dog pound. So if you want to…''  
''Yes, I would love that…'', Boss whispered, a weak smile on his face again as he poked the kid with his paw again, wagging his tail. Spencer giggled and wagged his tail in response, resting his head against Boss' shoulder again. ''You don't have to call me dad, though. You don't have to be too formal about it.''  
''Hehe, I know. Thanks, Boss'', Spencer said, chuckling. The two sat there for a moment in silence, watching out over the area, guarding the fourth platoon. Eventually Boss got to his paws and turned around, walking off while mumbling: ''As the new platoon's leader I have things to attend to. I'll be back later, I promise.''  
Spencer watched Boss with sadness in his eyes, hesitating for a moment before jumping to his paws and going after the male. He quickly followed the Doberman and jumped in front of him, causing the dog to stop in his tracks. ''Spencer, what's up?''

''Wait, before you go… I have something to talk to you about. Something you don't know yet, because you weren't there.'', Spencer said and Boss frowned. ''You probably have already seen him, or not, I don't know but… Ōu has a wolf on their side. His name's Yoru. After we lost you and Weston we came across a wolf's territory and witnessed a few wolves getting chased out of the pack, Yoru was one of them. He was wounded when he came our way, and I promised he could stay with us. Now he's one of Ōu's soldiers.''  
''A wolf?'', Boss asked confused. ''Didn't Weed tell me and Weston we were fighting against wolves? Wolves had declared us war.''  
''Yes, but Yoru belongs with us, he got chased out because he's mute and they saw him as useless, most likely. He's on our side now and he will help us fight off the wolves. He will help us defend Gajou. I know because he promised. He promised in silence, with looks.'', Spencer responded and Boss looked confused at the kid still, not sure what to say to him. ''Just… please try to accept him as a member of Ōu, as a soldier. See him as a fellow dog and not a wolf. He's one of the few that hasn't avoided me or turned his back on me. he has stayed by my side from the beginning, just like you did. Can you do that for me? Can you accept him as a fellow Ōu soldier?''  
''I… sure I can. I will.'', Boss said and Spencer smiled happily, nuzzling Boss and thanking the Doberman before running back, returning to his post. Boss smiled and walked off, down the hill, when he saw the black wolf, sleeping in the shadows, away from all the other dogs, his brown eyes narrowed. _''Yoru, huh…? A mute wolf… Doesn't mute come in handy when you send out soldiers to collect information about the enemy without those soldiers spilling secrets about their own plans? I don't trust that wolf. I hope Spencer knows what he's doing…''_

After Boss had passed the sleeping Yoru, the wolf opened one of his eyes and glanced at the dog, turning his head slowly. He huffed when the Doberman was completely out of sight and closed his eyes again, turning his head again so he could rest it on his paws. He heard paw steps of dogs all around him, a few meeting up together in the middle of the area. Yoru, with his eyes still closed, perked his ears and turned them slightly, trying to pick up any sounds.  
''Hey, did you hear any news about that wolf we have imprisoned in Gajou?'', one of the dogs asked another, who soon enough responded with: ''Not really, Gin told us he's not budging, whatever treatment Moss gives him. And trust me, everyone talks when it's Moss 'treating' them… This wolf's a tough guy.''  
''I see… Well, he will probably budge soon enough. I mean, he can't keep himself quiet for longer, can he? If he doesn't talk anytime soon they might kill him. It's either tell and live or keep secret and die, not?''  
The dogs greeted each other and the paw steps moved away from the area, fading off into the distance. Yoru opened both his eyes, glancing in front of him before getting to his paws and stretching his limbs, yawning loudly, for as far as his throat still could make a few sounds.  
_''Kai's inside Gajou… Interesting. Why would they keep prisoners inside Gajou? It's way too easy to find them if you're looking for them. They need to think of a better hiding place.'',_ Yoru thought, glancing around the area. _'Am I the only one here? Why does everyone ignore me so much? Because I'm a wolf? Because I can't talk?'',_ he mind told him. He glanced up the hill to see a figure; Spencer sitting there, from behind. The yearling was all alone, just like Yoru, guarding the fourth platoon and making sure no wolves could make it to Gajou. _''I'm the only free wolf that has made it alive to Gajou, I should be proud of myself…''_

''Hey, Yoru, psst…'', a voice suddenly whispered and Yoru turned his head to look at a few rustling bushes. He frowned and stepped off towards it, leaving the open area and entering the dark green forest.  
When he looked around him he saw a black coated wolf just like him, but this one had brown eyes; it was Rai, the youngest of the three brothers, the youngest brother of the imprisoned Kai. Yoru looked behind him for a brief moment; he didn't want to be here right now, he wanted to return to the fourth platoon's post before being seen with a wolf; their enemy. ''Don't tell me you grew fond of those dogs. You little bastard…'', Rai whispered and Yoru shot his head around, looking at Rai with shock and shaking his head rapidly. Rai chuckled in response, grinning. ''Ay, don't tell me you fell for my joke. Oh Yoru, you are just too innocent~''  
Yoru grinned weakly, sheepishly, his heartbeat racing within his chest. He watched hoe Rai moved over to him, coming closer. ''Look man, you must know by now where my brother is. So please, go find Kai and care for him. You don't have to get him out immediately if you can't… Just… just make sure he's alright, make sure he's not in pain and fed well… He's my older brother, I don't want him to die, not right now…''  
Yoru sat down, curling his tail around his body, he stared at the ground and shook his head, a sad expression in his eyes. ''What? Why not? Please, I'm begging you. I'm even sending back up along with you. Mallory, that albino wolf, you know him, right? No one will suspect him to be on our side because he's all innocent and cute and cuddly, right? You can go look for my brother and make sure he's okay, while Mallory guards the entrance, wherever Kai is hidden, and tells you when there's danger coming your way so you can get out safely. Please. I. Beg. Of. You. Yoru.''  
Yoru sighed and rolled his eyes, watching how from the darkness in front of him appeared a pure white coat; a white wolf with red eyes; the wolf called Mallory Rai had spoken of.  
''Thank you, Yoru! Thank you so much!'', Rai said, rubbing his head past Yoru's neck in thanks. ''Once you return to us I will make sure Kenshi rewards you with a higher rank. Now please, off you two go. Please, make sure Kai is alright, that he will survive.''

Yoru and Mallory stalked through the forest, until they reached the area where massive Gajou stood. Yoru glanced around the area a few times to make sure it was safe to cross the meadow, before poking Mallory with his nose, telling the wolf to follow him.  
''You sure we can go…? I mean, I have rather bad eyesight so I wouldn't know when something was coming my way… I don't know why Rai chose me to guard the entrance for you…'', the albino wolf said and Yoru stared at the ground as they slowly stalked off towards Gajou. _''That's because you're useless just like me and if anything would happen to us, they wouldn't miss us…''_, Yoru thought, answering the wolf's question, but Mallory would never hear him say it. After all Yoru was mute.  
The two stopped in front of Gajou and looked around a few times again before Yoru entered the darkness of the tunnel, while Mallory stayed outside, watching everything around him. He had his ears perked; if he wasn't able to see anything, then hopefully his ears would tell him about it.  
Yoru moved through different tunnels, Gajou was like a huge maze, until he found a small tunnel which only could be accessed to by crouching low to the ground. Yoru laid down on his belly and started crouching, moving through the small dark tunnel with effort. When he finally reached the small chamber, he saw a figure laying on the ground. Blood was everywhere, the creature was beaten up and stayed there with closed eyes, resting on its side. It was Kai; the wolf Rai had told Yoru to look for.

The black coated male quickly moved over to Kai, laying down beside him and resting his head on the ground beside Kai's, breathing into his face. Kai opened his eyes and glanced at Yoru, a weak smile crept on his face.  
''Yoru… you came to save me…?'', he asked, his eyes half open. He tried to lay up on his belly and groaned loudly, but he soon collapsed to the floor again. Yoru sighed and shook his head, and the hope in Kai's eyes faded for a moment. But not long after he smiled again weakly. ''I see… you just came here to make sure I was alright, didn't you? How did you know I was here? And did one of my brothers send you here?'', he asked and Yoru nodded, nudging Kai's cheek.

''Thank you, Yoru… show my brother's I'm alright, that I will try to hold out for as long as I can…'', Kai whispered and Yoru nodded. ''Make sure they don't cry, and that they feel safe… Please… Now go, before they find you here. As our spy you can't be found out right now or our plan is ruined, right?'', he whispered and Yoru nodded. He licked Kai's cheek in a way to comfort him and got to his paws, moving over to the hole in the stone wall where he had come from. He looked behind him at Kai on last time, not showing any emotions like he mostly did. ''Good boy, now go… be careful…''  
Yoru nodded again and laid down on his belly, crouching through the narrow tunnel back to the massive maze.  
He made it alive and quickly got up to his full height again, dashing out of the massive pile of stones and rocks. Running out into the bright open world he almost bumped into Mallory. The albino wolf looked questioning at him, but Yoru avoided the male's gaze and started running, the white wolf following him quickly.  
on the other side of Gajou far away on a hill stood Gin, watching the two wolves run off. He had seen them coming and he had stared, waiting for them to return towards the forest. His blue eyes held no expression as he watched them. ''Yoru… if Spencer finds out you're lying to him, you will lose him. You know that, right?'', he mumbled, his words directed at the wolf, but still more to himself as well. he turned around and sighed, walking down the hill. ''Wolves might try and pretend to be sheep, dress as sheep, but they will always stay wolves…''


	17. Chapter 16

Silent paws dragged a body across the floor. A black coated figure moved through a narrow space to get to a small chamber. It was Yoru, holding a dead rabbit between his jaws as he entered the small room where they held Kai imprisoned. Kai looked worse than the other day, wounds all over his body. His brown eyes were opened only half as he noticed Yoru and looked up, a weak smile on his face, but the grimace was too painful for him to keep, so it faded again soon after. He groaned, trying to get to his paws, or to at least lay flat on his belly, but he was too much in pain and too weak to even move his paws fully.  
Yoru soon stood by his side, dropping the dead hare beside him and nudging the wolf's body. Kai looked up at him and then at the rabbit, moving his paw as far as he could and dragging the prey closer to his face.  
''Thank you, Yoru… and don't worry about me, I won't break that easily…'', he said, panting heavily as he glanced at the wall, before forcing himself to take a bite from the rabbit, ripping off a piece of the meat with effort. ''Go back, Yoru, before they find you here. Please. I don't want you to get caught…''  
Yoru nodded and turned around, rushing himself out of the chamber and back into the huge mage of long tunnels.  
He ran out of Gajou, his eyes darting around quickly as he looked to see if no one was there. Near the bushes that marked the beginning of the forest, he met up with Mallory and rushed into the forest, leaving Gajou behind. Mallory looked at him, close behind him.  
''Did you give Kai the food?'', he asked and Yoru gave one flick of his tail in response, meaning 'yes'; he and Mallory and thought of a way how to communicate with each other. Mallory would ask simple questions to which Yoru could only answer yes or no, and he would or nod his head or shake it, or wag once with his tail for yes and twice for no whenever Mallory didn't see his face. It was the only way they could communicate, because Mallory with his bed eyesight couldn't read Yoru's lips. ''Good, let's find Zai and Rai then, and tell them Kai's fine. If he's fine, that is…''

Spencer stood there on the edge of the hill, watching everything down below. He had gotten quite used to standing here and watching, every day. He had been doing this job for weeks now and he had gotten quite a good eyesight and hearing thanks to it.  
When he saw something move down below the hill, meters away, he narrowed his eyes, trying to look closer. When he realized it were canines he didn't really know how to respond. It could be either wolves or dogs. Taking another long and close look he came to realize it were wolves, and there seemed to be coming more and more their way with each second that passed. It didn't take long before there were at least twenty wolves, but even after that more arrived; it was like Kenshi had brought his whole army to this place, to attack the fourth platoon.  
''H-how many are there…? It looks like it's getting close to a hundred wolves. Maybe even more… I never realized Kenshi really had this many followers… Are there more coming?'', he asked himself, mumbling softly as he watched the wolves emerge from the distance, from their hiding place in the darkness. A whole army of over hundreds of wolves was coming their way, getting closer and closer near the hill on which Spencer stood. ''This isn't good… not good at all… Boss!''  
Spencer shot his head around, looking around the area for the Doberman. The dog was soon near his side after his call, looking down the hill. When he saw the wolves he growled loudly, a mixture of anger and fear in his eyes.  
''Oh no, there are so many of them… Spencer, go warn the other platoons, go ask for their help.'', Boss said and Spencer nodded, turning around and ready to run off. ''I think Kenshi has brought his whole army our way, if it's his whole army… If he's sending so many wolves our way, there must be even more wolves on his side. This greatly worries me… Go Spencer, go.''  
''Okay Boss!'', Spencer said and he ran down the hill, in the other direction where the fourth platoon was. He called out for the dogs there: ''Everyone, listen up! An army of over at least a hundred wolves are coming our way. Go to Boss and try to defend the border lines! I will call for the other platoons' help! Hurry, all of you!''  
The dogs did as they were told and moved over to Boss and the border lines, standing their ground in case the wolves would get closer and eventually attack. Spencer quickly moved out of the area, to where the other three platoons were.

Jumping over a fallen tree Spencer ran up a hill through the forest, but halfway up the hill he stopped as he saw bushes rustle. He narrowed his eyes and growled loudly, watching how a mixed breed jumped from the darkness. It was a wolf-Alaskan Malamute mix, most likely, with a curly tail and a brown and a blue eye. The mixed breed stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at the yearling, a sideways glance as there was a hint of insecurity in his eyes.  
''A kid? And you are…?'', he asked, staring at Spencer, who took a step back, glancing up in confusion. His body shivered slightly; he had never seen this wolf before, nor had he ever really seen a wolf breed that was half dog. He didn't know who this wolf was, and why he was here.  
''If I tell you, you tell me who you are, as well.'', he responded and the male chuckled for a moment, a slight grin on his face before it faded and it took on a serious expression.  
''Fine, I'll go first. I'm Kurai; General of the wolf pack. I am Kenshi's right hand and lead his army.'', the male spoke and Spencer looked at him in shock, taking a few steps forward.  
''You are General Kurai? So that army of wolves down there is lead by you…?'', the yearling asked and Kurai nodded. ''That's correct. You're quite a fast learner~'', he said and Spencer growled angry, yet his ears stayed pressed against his neck, a sign of fear.  
''Send them away! Lead your army elsewhere!'', he snarled but Kurai shook his head, a calm expression on his face. He muttered in response: ''I can't allow to do that, even if I wanted to due some personal plans… Orders by my leader. He wanted me to lead only a small part of his army up the hills to fight at the borders of Gajou.''  
''O-only a part!? So you say there are more wolves?'', Spencer asked in shock and Kurai laughed loudly.

''Ay my boy! Kenshi has over three hundred followers, compared to our army, Ōu's going to be in serious trouble. You won't live long, kid. So either give up and join us or die along with Ōu's soldiers.'', the male responded, laughing again. Spencer growled loudly and ran up the hill where Kurai stood, bumping into the half breed with great force. Kurai stumbled backwards and gasped, before standing his ground and snapping at the German Shepherd mix. ''Now your name, kid.''  
''I'm Spencer. But… then, if you don't call back your army, at least let me through!'', Spencer called out and Kurai frowned at him, opening his mouth to speak. ''So you can warn the other platoons to back you up? Sure, go ahead. But know that you will probably die alongside Ōu.''  
Spencer growled at Kurai once more and ran past the half wolf, dashing through the forest to call the other platoons for backup near the borders. On his way to search for help, Spencer couldn't help but wonder, however, why Kurai had let him go this easily. But Kurai had a plan, a plan the dogs didn't know about.  
The male watched Spencer disappear before grinning and jumping down the hill. ''Gosh what a stupid little brat. He fell right into our trap. Time to move on to part three of our plan; get all the dogs of Ōu to fight against only a 'small' part of our army. They will weaken, their borders will weaken. And once we've weakened them enough, we put in our whole army, coming from all sides. We will keep them away at night and let them fight useless battles till they just can't go on anymore, oh this will be fun. And this Spencer kid is going to ruin it all for Ōu.''  
Laughing Kurai moved deeper into the forest, off to where Gajou was. He wouldn't make it to Gajou though, because halfway there he would meet up with Kenshi and tell the leader their plan was getting on nicely.

''Everyone! Please come help the fourth platoon at the western borders!'', Spencer called out, jumping on a rock and howling for help. His voice echoed through the forest, and not long after howls were returned his way as a response, coming from all the other sides of the forest. Stamping of paws emerged, going towards the western borders of Gajou.  
Not long after there was another howl, a howl coming from Boss; the wolves had entered Ōu's territory. They were with too, any and many dogs had been overthrown already. Spencer turned around, his ears perked towards the source of the sound. He gasped and jumped off the rock, dashing back towards the borders where he had come from. Behind him he heard a waterfall of paws hitting the ground, and looking behind him he saw the first platoon, Ben and Ken running in the front, leading the other dogs.  
Spencer ran with them back towards the western borders. When they got there the fourth platoon seemed to be in serious trouble. No dogs were dead, but they were or wounded badly or forced down by wolves. The first platoon rushed into the battle and Spencer stopped, watching in fear. He wanted to help out but he had never fought before. He didn't have to act soon, though, because from the forest came the second and third platoon, lead by Akame and Kurotora. The three newly arrived platoons crashed into the hundreds of wolves and blood splashed on the ground all around Spencer. It made the kid whimper in fear and he backed off, ears pressed against his skull and his tail tucked between his legs. He scanned the massive group of fighting and struggling canines for Benji and Boss, but didn't see them.  
When he tried running past a dog and wolf fighting each other, blood splashed on his muzzle and forehead. Shaking with terror he stood there, his paws frozen to the ground. He turned his head and stared in fear when a black coated wolf came crashing his way. He couldn't bring out a sound as he stood there and stared, but suddenly he was moved forcefully; a huge dog crashed into him, pushing him aside and taking on the wolf. Spencer fell and hit the ground hard, gasping for air. Looking up he saw it was Boss, the Doberman.

''Run and hide, Spencer! You shouldn't get involved in this!'', Boss yelled as he showed his teeth at the growling wolf, growling back and jumping at the bigger canine, burying his teeth into the wolf's throat and pushing him down on the ground.  
Spencer nodded and looked around for a way out, when he saw Benji rushing off into the darkness of the forest. Finally his paws started moving and he ran as fast as he could, going after Benji.  
''Benji, wait!'', Spencer called out, hoping Benji would listen and stop, but the young Akita Inu kept on running, not paying any attention to Spencer. ''Are you running from the fight as well?''  
''No I'm not! I was send out to find other dogs to join in the war, other dogs outside Ōu! Get back and fight or hide, Spencer! And stop following me!'', Benji yelled back, causing Spencer to stop in his tracks and stare at the other yearling with sadness. Before Benji was out of sight, however, the sounds of the fighting faded behind them; it seemed like the battle was dying down already. ''What? What's going on there?''  
''I don't know…'', Spencer responded in a whisper, not sure why Benji didn't want him to follow him. ever since they had arrived at Gajou and joined Ōu, Benji had become quiet and agitated easily, and he barely laughed nor spoke to Spencer anymore. It hurt the German Shepherd mix's feelings.  
He watched how Benji turned around and ran back, shooting past him. Spencer followed him, even though Benji had told him not to, but he was also curious why the battling sounds had quieted down.  
The two of them reached the area and saw the wounded dogs standing there defending the border lines. The wolves seemed to be retreating, growling and snarling at the dogs.  
None of the wolves were seriously harmed, so Spencer wondered why they were backing off like this all of a sudden; the dogs seemed to be doing way worse.

It didn't take long before the wolves turned around and fled, leaving the borders of Gajou behind them. The dogs howled for their victory and Spencer could only watch in fear and confusion; did none of the dogs realize the strange situation? All dogs were badly wounded, while most of the wolves seemed fine, yet they were retreating. It didn't make sense; there was something fishy going on and Spencer realized that the moment he saw General Kurai and Kenshi running along a cliff up the large hills, retreating as well, yet they were wounded; it seemed like they were just watching the battle unfold in silence and peace.  
Spencer looked up in confusion when a face blocked his sight from Kurai and Kenshi. It was Boss, looking down at him and smiling.  
''I'm so glad you're okay… This wasn't meant to happen…'', he said, his smile fading. He turned his head to look at the wolves. ''You should have run when they came for you. You're not fit to fight, not yet.''  
''What do you mean, not yet?'', Spencer asked, sighing he stared at the ground, his ears pressed against his skull again. ''I will never be able to fight. I'm a coward…''  
''Everyone can learn. I will teach you. I will be your trainer, your coach.'', Boss said and he nudged Spencer who glanced up at him again, before looking at the retreating wolves; they were already far away, disappearing into the distance, behind the horizon. ''Come, let's report this battle to Gin and Weed. Benji, you go get those dogs after all. We might need them in the next upcoming battle, if the wolves decide to attack us again with so many all at once… What were they thinking, putting all their followers in this one army for this one battle?''  
''To weaken up, probably…'', Spencer said and Boss looked confused at him. ''We are with less soldiers. And We were with even less when the other three platoons weren't on our side. They just wanted to hurt us and weaken us. They will probably come back with more wolves next time… This is only a small part of their full army.''  
''Oh no… If you're right Spencer, then we're in serious trouble…'', Boss said, staring at the leaving wolves in shock, a sad look filled his brown eyes.

''I guess we did a pretty good job with our plan, Kurai.'', Kenshi said as he and Kurai walked through their camp. ''We lied about our amount of followers, weakened those filthy dogs and soon enough we will use our full army and take over Gajou. It will become ours.''  
''Yes, I just hope Kai will hold on long enough…'', Kurai said and Kenshi nudged his friend, trying to cheer him up. ''Don't worry,'' he said smiling weakly. ''he will. We will get him back soon. Yoru is taking care of him.''  
''I assume you're right. Though I think Yoru might soon betray us. Even though he was a wolf, the dogs gave him a rather fair rank as their fellow Ōu soldier and one of Ōu's hunters. He has a better life there than he has here.''  
''Yes, maybe. But he's a wolf at heart. He will never belong with the dogs. He belongs with his own kind, us, and he knows it.'', Kenshi responded, a grin on his face. Kurai nodded in agreement and then stopped, looking at Kenshi. Kenshi now stopped as well, staring back at his General. ''What?''  
''That kid though… Spencer is his name. I now realize… There is no doubt.'', Kurai spoke and Kenshi frowned, looking confused at him.  
''No doubt about what?'', he asked and Kurai shook his head, grinning. He whispered: ''I can't tell now, I might be wrong. There's still one thing I need to know about him, and if I'm right, you will find out soon enough~''  
He walked again, moving past Kenshi. As he did this he brushed his tail along Kenshi's neck teasingly, not looking back as he entered their main camp and left his own leader there to stare at him in curiosity and worry. _''He was talking about Spencer, hmm…? That German Shepherd kid I let pass weeks ago. I remember him… What did Kurai mean when he was talking about that dog…?''_


	18. Chapter 17

Sheba and Sam moved through the forest, their paws tickled by the dark green grass. The tree tops hid most of it, but the once so bright blue sky was growing darker each day. The battle between the dogs and wolves had only occurred yesterday; all dogs were still exhausted and wounded rather badly. Except for Sheba and Sa, because they had been cowards and hid themselves in the bushes and deeper parts of the forest when the wolves came to the western borders to attack the dogs and break through the fourth platoon. They had been part of the second platoon, but they had hidden themselves somewhere along the way there. No a day after, they seemed to be lost.  
''I told you we should have stayed with the second platoon.'', Sheba said and Sam huffed, rolling his eyes and looking away from his best friend. ''Okay, we probably would have had to fight against the wolves if we had stayed, but now we're lost. Did you hear? Boss and Weston are still alive, they joined Spencer's platoon. I want to get back there safely so we can meet up with Boss again, got it?''  
''Yeah yeah, got it. Stop nagging about it, you sound like my mother.'', Sam said and Sheba growled, which caused Sam to chuckle.  
''Oh haha, how funny. Stop acting like a fool, Sam. It's your fault we're in this mess, that we're lost.'', Sheba responded soon after and Sam looked shocked at him. ''My fault?'', the Labrador Retriever asked before turning angry and growling at his little Shiba Inu friend. ''It's not my fault. Just admit it, you're grateful that we didn't had to fight those wolves. Just admit it.''  
''I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the fact that we're lost.'', Sheba scolded Sam and Sam huffed again, ignoring his friend as he began to walk faster. Sheba began to run along, trying to keep up beside him. ''Yeah yeah, go ahead and ignore me, I don't care. I won't take back my words, unless you can find the way back to our platoon.''  
The two dogs moved around the corner, stepping through a few dark green bushes, red berries hanging from the small branches, when their body suddenly froze and stiffened. They stared at the creatures in front of them, their eyes filled with shock; wolves, wolves stood in front of them and were growling, grinning.  
''Look what we have here, Ōu soldiers?'', one of the wolves asked, his coat a golden color, with a mixture of white and cream going through it; Hokori. His yellow eyes held insanity and he was drooling, a huge grin spread across his face. ''What do we do to Ōu soldiers when I'm in charge?''  
''We slay them.'', one of the other wolves behind Hokori said and the others agreed, hollering out before they all dashed over to the two dogs. Sheba and Sam couldn't even respond nor turn around and flee. With one single attack it was all over…

''Dead Ōu soldiers? Where?'', Spencer asked as he heard Ben speak to Boss. He stood beside Boss and looked confused up at him. ''Where? And who got killed by the wolves…?'', he asked again, hoping Boss would answer him. But the Doberman was silent, his eyes closed as his face was directed at the ground. ''Who?'', Spencer asked, worry filling his voice and eyes. He now looked at Ben, who sighed and spoke.  
''A Labrador Retriever and a Shiba Inu. From what I've heard from Boss just now, it might be his former followers; Sam and Sheba.'', the Great Dane said, a sad look in his brown eyes. They were dull, a sign he had really bad eyesight, or was probably already blind. ''We found them near the borders of the first platoon…''  
''Oh no… I need to know if it's true!'', Spencer said and he ran past Ben. The Great Dane turned around, ready to snatch the kid by his tail, but Boss stopped him from doing it.  
''Let him go, I'm quite curious myself if it's them but I don't want to see their dead bodies…'', Boss said and Ben narrowed his eyes at the Doberman. ''So you send the kid to do the dirty work? What are you, a fierce Doberman or a little lap dog?'', Ben asked and Boss sighed, turning around.  
''None of them. Just… let me be for now…'', He whispered before walking off, leaving Ben to just stand there and stare. ''Go back to your platoon, they can't defend the borders without you…''  
''Boss…'', Ben whispered before shaking his head and moving back in his platoon's direction; he began to run, hoping he could catch up with Spencer before the yearling would see the dead dogs he had spoken of.  
''Spencer wait!'', the old Great Dane called out for the German Shepherd, causing the kid to stop and look at him. Ben ran past him, his tail swaying behind his muscled body. ''It's this way, follow me.'', he continued to speak and Spencer nodded, running after him. He caught up with the older dog, looking up at him. ''Tell me, did you start your training lessons with Boss? He was going to teach you how to fight, right?''  
''Yes, we started training, I'm doing fairly alright, I think…'', Spencer whispered and both the dogs fell silent as they focused on their travel to find the dead bodies.

They walked around a large grey rock and the scent of blood hit their nostrils. The scent was still fresh, but the blood had started to dry long ago; the bodies were already a few hours old. Spencer and Ben closed in on the bodies, carefully, slowly. They reached their head forward, as if they were scared to get too close with their paws.  
''Are they the ones Boss was talking about…?'', Ben asked and he stopped, giving Spencer the chance to pass him and take a closer look. When the yearling walked past him and stopped just a bit in front of him, he took a better look at the dead dogs laying there in the grass. His body froze and his pears got pressed against his head as sadness filled his blue eyes. He glanced down at Sheba and Sam, which used to be his fellow pack members, Ōu soldiers just like him.  
But now they were dead, killed by the wolves that tried to steal Gajou from Ōu. Spencer couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the bloody bodies in front of him; it indeed were Sheba and Sam, there was no doubt about it.  
''T-they… they died… they got killed… the wolves murdered them…'', Spencer whispered, tears started to roll down his cheeks as he stood there frozen in shock, staring down. ''They killed them… they murdered them…''  
''I'm sorry you had to see this…'', Ben mumbled and Spencer broke down crying, laying there on the ground beside the two dead dogs. ''Spencer, I'm sorry…'', he whispered again, sitting down beside the sad yearling. ''I know how you feel… I'm really sorry you had to see this…''  
''Why!? Why did they do this!? They were only passing through!'', Spencer screamed out, jumping to his paws, tears now streamed down his face like waterfalls. There was a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes as he growled loudly once before bringing his face up to the sky and howling in rage and defeat.  
After that he turned around to stare at Ben, fury in his eyes. ''They are a bunch of cowards! Sheba and Sam didn't deserve this! Not this! Not like this! Those wolves should stay out of Ōu's territory and mind their own business!'', Spencer yelled angry, drool dripping from his jaws now that he was raging almost like a mad bull. ''I'm going to kill their murderers one day, I swear!''

Weston rested just outside Gajou, his head on his paws and his eyes closed. He moved his ears when he heard paws coming his way, and he opened his eyes half and lifted his head to look up. Boss laid down beside him, smiling weakly, there was sadness in his eyes.  
''I just heard Sam and Sheba passed away…'', he mumbled and Weston looked at him in confusion, defeat in his eyes all of a sudden. ''They were killed by wolves not long ago…''  
''Oh my… the poor things… If only I had been there to help them…'', Weston mumbled and Boss nudged the male's cheek. ''It's not your fault you weren't there, you are old, you needed your rest…'', Boss responded to his words and Weston shook his head, smiling weakly.  
''I'm not going to be here any longer to help you all out.'', he said and Boss looked at him in utter confusion.  
''What are you talking about?'', the Doberman asked, fear filling his voice. He didn't know why he was scared, but Weston's words worried him. ''What…?''  
''I want you to look after Spencer when I'm gone. He and William are the only ones left of our group… At least, before you and me lost the group, that is. I heard about Benji and that one wolf Yoru, but I'm mostly worried about Spencer and William… Please, care for them when I'm gone, Boss. Can you promise me?''  
''I… I promise I will…'', Boss whispered and he looked at Weston with sadness as the old Irish Wolfhound smiled weakly at him, before laying his head on his paws.  
''That's good, that's good… Thank you, my good friend. And take care of yourself, too, of course…'', Weston whispered and Boss whispered his name softly, nudging the older dog carefully. But there came no response. Weston closed his blue eyes and drifted off to sleep, a sleep he would never awake from. When Boss rested his head next to Weston's neck, he could hear the old dog's heartbeat stop.


	19. Chapter 18

''Gin,'' Spencer said as the yearling entered the open area around Gajou. It had been two days since he last had seen the massive rock building. Two days ago Sheba and Sam had been killed by wolves and left there to rot away, two days long Spencer had stayed away from Ōu. Now the male was back, and his always so happy and lively expression had been replaced by a grumpy one; his first so bright blue eyes were now dull and narrowed. ''I want you to keep an eye on Yoru for me.''  
He stood there in front of Gin, his head held high as he looked the older Akita Inu straight in his blue eyes. ''I don't trust him.''  
''because he's a wolf?'', Gin asked and Spencer nodded. Gin sighed and looked at the ground for a moment, like he was thinking deep, before looking back up at Spencer. ''Why can't you do it yourself?''  
''I don't want to. And I don't need to give you a reason why not so just deal with my decision.'', Spencer said agitated and he walked past Gin, making the male stare at him in shock. Gin turned around and followed Spencer quickly, ending up beside him.  
''Why did you abandon your post in the fourth platoon? Get back there now.'', the male said but Spencer glanced at him for only a second before looking away, staring at Gajou. Gin grew angry, he grew impatient. The Akita Inu jumped in front of Spencer, blocking the yearling from going any further. ''Don't you dare keep on moving, young soldier! You wanted to become one of Ōu's followers and fighters so it's your own fault you saw death with your own eyes, don't blame us for your decisions! Learn your place!''  
The older dog jumped forward, reaching for Spencer's neck so he could grab the dog's scruff and force him down on the ground, but Spencer was quicker and jumped aside, running past Gin before turning around and bumping into him with speed, knocking him over. Gin fell on his back and was forced down by Spencer, who stood on top of his chest. He stared up at Spencer with shock in his eyes, not sure how to respond to this counter attack; he laid there panting, his belly showing. ''Your… your training with Tesshin has paid of…''  
''I know my place, old man…'', Spencer hissed before stepping off of Gin, turning around and moving towards Gajou. ''I've the feeling something clearly wrong is going on over there, I have to know what's wrong…''

''What do you mean?'', Gin asked, getting to his paws. He looked at Spencer and felt like attacking the younger dog from the back, but since Spencer seemed to have been training hard with Tesshin and Boss, he guessed it was no use; Spencer was probably able to tell whenever someone was attacking him, whether it was from behind or from a hiding place. So he followed the yearling in silence, looking the dog up and down, a worried look in his eyes. _''He has grown, he reminds me so much of Weed…''_  
Spencer had ignored his question, but instead had started running off towards Gajou. Gin went faster as well, trying to keep up with him. he wanted to know what Spencer was thinking, why he acted like this, but maybe he already knew; the scent of wolf was in the air. The scent of Yoru, and it went towards Gajou. And Spencer had smelled it; the yearling knew the wolf was inside Gajou, and in knew why the male was there. He was there to care for Kai, the dogs' prisoner.  
The German Shepherd mix entered Gajou, standing still in front of the exit. He simply stood there frozen, staring at the darkness in front of him in silence, keeping an emotionless expression. Gin stopped behind him, still panting slightly; he looked at Spencer with big eyes. ''Why… what are you waiting for?''  
''Don't pretend I know nothing, _Shooting Star_ Gin, I know you're hiding the fact from me that Yoru's in here. If Yoru is in here and betraying me and everyone else, tell me now. I got to know if it's true we can't trust him. And if so, I need to know why you're lying to me or keeping this from me.'', Spencer said calmly, glancing at Gin for a split second before staring into the utter darkness again. ''Why, Gin?''  
''I didn't tell anything because it's none of my business, Spencer. I wanted you two to sort it out for yourselves. Without any help from me, Weed or anyone else.'', Gin responded, a growl erupting from his throat. ''Don't call me a traitor or a liar, I have my reason too, you know!''

''Whatever.'', Spencer responded bluntly, his eyes focused on the darkness once more. He narrowed them a bit more when he saw something move down there and he pushed his head forward a bit, a low growl escaping his throat as he waited. something came his way, out from the darkness, and Spencer's body froze, he stiffened as he kept on staring. ''Who's there?'', he asked and he bit his lip. He hoped it wasn't Yoru, that he had been imagining it, the male's scent and the fact that he was a wolf. But it seemed like his hopes would get crushed; it was Yoru.  
The wolf came from the maze, his head held low, but it immediately lifted when he saw Spencer, his multicolored eyes turning big. ''Yoru!'', Spencer yelled and Yoru took a step back, ears pressed against his skull. His eyes went over to Gin, it was like he was begging for help, but Gin didn't take a single step forward to try and interfere; he had already tried before. Instead the Akita Inu huffed and turned his head, looking away, his ears pushed back slightly.  
''Yoru, what did you do? Why are you here? Are you here to help Kai escape? Be honest!'', the German Shepherd mix spoke again, his voice growing louder; he became more and more impatient. ''I know I couldn't trust you! I knew I could never trust a wolf! What did you do!?''  
''He only came here to feed Kai and give him water… Orders from Kai's brothers.'', Gin said, trying to interfere once more. ''It's not his fault, nor his choice. He was ordered to. He doesn't help Kai with escaping, he just feeds the wolf. That's all.''  
''And you didn't do anything about it?'', Spencer asked angrily as he looked at Gin with fury in his blue eyes.  
''It wasn't my job to interfere. I know Yoru would never give information about us to our enemy, because he can't speak. So even though he feeds the enemy doesn't make him an enemy nor a traitor. Think about it, Spencer.'', Gin said and Spencer huffed angry, glancing back at Yoru.  
''You traitor, you filth…''

''Spencer!'', Gin said, shock in his eyes. He took a step back as Yoru came a bit closer, he stared at the wolf, as to tell him not to do this, but Yoru didn't listen and moved closer to Spencer anyway, his head held low and his ears in his neck, sadness in his eyes, fear, guilt. The closer he came, the louder Spencer's growls grew. ''Yoru, stop.''  
''Don't tell him what to do! He can decide for himself what he wants to do!'', Spencer snarled and Gin took another step back, watching in horror. Spencer stared at Yoru, showing his teeth at the wolf. ''He used to be my friend, so he can decide for himself whether he wants to fight back and kill me or be killed by my own fangs!''  
Yoru lifted his head in shock, his eyes holding nothing but fear. The black coated wolf shook his head rapidly, like he was telling Spencer he didn't want to do this, like he was trying to ask for forgiveness, but Spencer didn't give in to it. ''Choose, Yoru! You betrayed the dogs so you better have a place at the wolves you can call home, because you're not welcome here anymore! You better die!''  
''Spencer, you're taking this too far! A leader would know when to stop a useless fight like this!'', Gin yelled but Spencer didn't really pay much attention to him. ''Weed would never kill a living being, not like this!''  
''But… I'm not Weed.'', Spencer hissed and Yoru started running, moving past Spencer and Gin; the wolf fled out of Gajou. He looked behind him to see Spencer going after him, and he sped up a bit more. The male panted heavily already, as his eyes were focused on the tree line marking the beginning of the deeper parts of the forest. If he could reach the forest he would be able to lose Spencer quicker. But Spencer had other plans and before he knew it Yoru was knocked over by a strong force, something hit him on his back.

Falling to the ground he hit it hard, groaning in pain, but no sound came out of his throat. The wolf struggled to break free, kicking with his paws and snapping at Spencer's, but he couldn't reach them. The yearling had him pinned down to the ground, holding him tight, standing on top of his back.  
''You filthy traitor! All wolves are the same! All wolves kill those you care about, and they don't care whether or not they might hurt your feelings! You are nothing more than a traitor and trash!'', Spencer snarled, causing Yoru to struggle more in fear. The wolf managed to get out from underneath him, but Spencer was already aware of that and lunged for the wolf's neck, biting it and wrapping his jaws around it. Yoru opened his mouth like he was trying to scream, but like always no sounds came out.  
He began to run, dragging Spencer along with him over the ground. Suddenly coming to a stop he hoped Spencer would lose his grip and let go, but Tesshin had been practicing with Spencer to fight and actually hold his grip tight, and it was a mix with the practice Boss had given him; it was like the strong bite of a Doberman, Rottweiler or Pitbull, their locked jaws.  
Yoru stood there shaking all over his body, his paws frozen to the ground and his eyes wide as tears began to form in them. It hurt a lot, the bite Spencer gave him. Blood dripped down the German Shepherd's jaws, in small drops they fell on the ground. Yoru's adrenaline began to rise and the male started shaking his head and body violently, going every way. Spencer was finally thrown off of him, letting go of his neck. The yearling landed on the ground, holding his balance as he growled loudly at Yoru, licking the blood from his lips.  
Yoru growled in response, seeing no other way out than to stand and fight. He brought himself forward, trying to wrap his jaws around Spencer's neck, head or muzzle; it wouldn't matter. Spencer jumped back but Yoru managed to grab his muzzle anyway, holding it tight. His bite wasn't all that strong as Spencer's but still strong enough to draw blood. Yet it was no good to keep Spencer from attacking him.  
''You call that a bite? That's a lame excuse for a bite, it's not even a pinch!'', Spencer yelled, grinning at Yoru. The male realized he had only managed to grab Spencer's upper part of his muzzle. Spencer was still able to pull himself free and try to bite him.

The yearling pulled himself free and crashed into Yoru, forcing them both to the ground. He literally sat on top of the wolf, his paws resting on the creature's chest as he looked down with a snarl.  
''Never knew it was so easy to overthrow a wolf. I could as well bring down Kenshi myself.'', the German Shepherd mix joked, before getting to his paws, leaning on Yoru's chest still. He bend his head to look Yoru close in his eyes. ''Guess there's no need to keep this fight from going on any longer, not? Let's end this hear right now, Yoru. Let me kill you.''  
Yoru started shivering again, pulling up his front paws and totally relaxing his body; a sign of utter submission. He had given up, and he literally begged for his life right now. Spencer opened his jaws, ready to strike at him, to tear open his throat, but the dog stopped as he just was about to let his teeth do the dirty work. He seemed to hesitate, his blue eyes focused on Yoru's face; they had started to water slightly.  
Yoru looked confused at him, slowly getting to his paws as Spencer stepped off of him. The wolf stared at the dog, which seemed to be crying. Yoru moved over to him a bit closer and wanted to nuzzle him, but Spencer turned away, sitting down with his back facing the wolf and his head lowered, eyes on the ground.  
''Don't touch me…'', he whispered and Yoru took a step back, ears pressed backwards. ''I can't kill you, just go…''  
Yoru didn't hesitate and started running, moving in on the tree line. He didn't look back as he ran away, but tears now formed in his eyes, taken away by the wind that blew in his face. Spencer looked at him, sniffling and glancing away at the ground again. ''You're a traitor and a pathetic excuse for a friend, yet I can't kill you…''

Yoru rushed through the forest, panting heavily as he fled from the dogs' territory. Finally coming to a stop he looked behind him, hoping that Spencer hadn't followed him after all, or any other dogs. He let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, vomiting from the rush of adrenaline and the fear and the pain in his neck.  
He heard paw steps coming his way and lifted his head slightly, glancing at a figure moving closer to him. The creature stopped in front of him, looking down upon him. Yoru's view was blurred from exhaustion so he couldn't clearly see who it was, but the chuckle he heard told him it was Kenshi.  
''So, you had quite a long epic run, I assume?'', the wolf asked and Yoru huffed, trying to keep his head up. ''Well, you managed to survive even after betraying your 'best friend', so I guess you're still worth a bit of our time, not?''  
Kenshi sat down in front of Yoru, his tail curled around his body. He sat there completely relaxed, grinning at the wounded wolf. ''I guess we can give you your place back in our pack, after everything you've been through. What do you say about that, hmm?''  
Yoru finally began to cry, the tears streaming down his face. He wasn't sure if he was sad, angry or glad. Sadness because he felt guilt; he had betrayed Spencer who had trusted him and believed him, the dog that had actually given him a home within Ōu. Anger because Kenshi was being a total bastard towards him right now, amused by the wolf's pain and being all sarcastic towards him. And glad because he had managed to find a new home so soon. He hadn't expected Kenshi would take him back in the pack like this, but he guessed you would never know for sure with Kenshi. ''Welcome home, my most previous hunter.''  
Yoru growled softly, but no sound came out of his throat, before he dropped his head and closed his amber eyes with hints of blue and green, passing out from exhaustion.

General Kurai moved through the forest, his eyes set on the massive stone building called Gajou. There was a smirk on his face as he stepped into the area. Immediately dogs looked his way and started growling and surrounding him, but Kurai didn't move a muscle. He just stood there, grinning like nothing was going on. When Gin and Weed stepped forward he bowed his head slightly, showing respect. Gin looked confused at him, meeting eyes with Weed for a moment before looking back at Kurai.  
''Looking for a deal? For peace?'', Weed asked, a huff escaping his throat. His words sounded sarcastic as he looked at the bowing wolf. But Kurai simply shook his head, looking back up at the two Akita Inu dogs.  
''I just heard that a fight had occurred between the mute wolf and the yearling called Spencer. I came to have a look. Where is he?'', Kurai spoke and Weed frowned, muttering: ''The wolf left.''  
''No, I'm talking about Spencer, the dog. I need to have a word with him, it's important. Please.'', the wolf mix spoke and Weed sighed, stepping aside and lifting his head, calling out for Spencer.  
From the crowd of dogs the German Shepherd mix appeared, his ears pressed back and his head lowered as he stalked towards the wolf. There was fear in his blue eyes, but when he saw General Kurai his eyes got filled with fury and they narrowed; a wolf, another wolf in his sight which he despised so much. ''What's going on? What's he doing here?'', he asked but Weed shrugged, and even Gin turned his head, showing he didn't know and actually didn't want to know.

''Spencer, right?'', Kurai asked and Spencer nodded, looking at him in confusion. He asked the wolf why he was here, why he had asked for him and Kurai's grin got bigger. ''I wanted to ask you something. Something important. What's your mother's name?''  
Spencer looked at him in confusion before taking a step back and lowering himself in fear again, not sure what to think of this. He whispered, shivering slightly: ''Miku, she was a German Shepherd just like me… why?''  
''Ah, I remember Miku, she always told you guys stories about Gin and Weed, and their legends, not?'', Kurai asked, glancing at the two Akita Inu dogs before looking back at Spencer, smirking. ''Such a beautiful female. Not purebred but sure looked like one. So gorgeous. A stray dog born and raised on the city, among the humans. I can remember that. Tell me Spencer, where did you siblings go?''  
''How do you know my mother…?'', Spencer asked, taking a few steps back. The distress in Spencer's eyes and body told the dogs things weren't right, and they started surrounding Kurai once more, who only kept on grinning.  
''I've known your mother, she was one of my most precious females. I'm your father, Spencer.''


	20. Chapter 19

''Spencer, come out, you can't keep on hiding forever.'', Boss spoke as he stepped into the massive mazes of Gajou, staring into the darkness at a figure that was laying on the ground, its back facing him. The Doberman sighed and moved a bit closer, sitting down just behind the German Shepherd mix. ''Please, listen to me. You don't have to hide…''  
''Stay away from me… I'm part wolf…'', Spencer whispered, his body shivering as he said this. Boss frowned and sighed once more, poking the kid's back with his paw. ''Don't touch me… I am what I despise so much…''  
''You are not. No one outside is afraid of you, we know you are a dog and that you belong to our side. No one wants to chase you out, we all want you to be here, safely with us. You are an Ōu soldier and one of our brothers. Believe in yourself, trust yourself. You are a dog, not a wolf. What if Kurai was just lying? He might be wrong, you know. You don't exactly look like a wolf. More like… well, a German Shepherd.'', Boss said, trying to make Spencer think differently of himself, but the yearling simply shook his head in the dark, sitting up and staring at Boss with an angry expression and slightly narrowed eyes.  
''He wasn't lying, he knew my mother. And I guess now I realize where I got these blue eyes from. My mother told me I got them from my father. Kurai has one blue eye…'', he said and Boss shook his head, refusing to believe this all.  
''Your father could as well have been a Husky. You've never met him so you don't know for sure. How can you be so sure this piece of lying filth is your father?'', Boss asked and Spencer shook his head, not even sure himself anymore.  
''I don't know, I can just feel it… It's true.'', he answered, his head lowered as he stared at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. He sighed and his body shook again as he tried to get rid of the thought. ''I don't want to go outside Boss, even if no one hates me, I just feel ashamed… Here I am pretending to be a full blood dog and hating wolves like they're not worth it to live in this world, while I'm part wolf myself… I know he's my father, Boss. My mother once told me when I was little and asked about my father, that he wasn't exactly fully dog. I didn't understand it at that time, but now I do… My father is half wolf, my father is that General…''  
Boss sighed again and got to his paws, turning around to look at Spencer one last time before walking out of Gajou. ''Well, if you want to come out, then come. Benji is worried about you, too.'', he said and he left.

Yoru shook his head, turning it away from a wolf standing in front of him, who kept on shoving dead rabbits, hares and birds in front of his paws. ''Why not Yoru? You gotta eat. Kenshi ordered you to, if you want to become one of our hunters again, you have to eat and get back your strength.'', the brown coated wolf said to him, a mixture of greys and whites in his fur. His dark brown eyes held worry for a moment, but that worry soon fade and turned into impatience, irritation. ''Don't waste our time, Yoru. It's either eat and join us again or die, got it?''  
With those words the wolf walked off, leaving Yoru alone, glancing at the sky. There was a sad look in his multicolored eyes as he watched the greyish clouds pass by; winter was coming soon, and it would probably soon start snowing by the looks of it.  
Yoru turned his head, staring at the dead animals in front of him, two dead rabbits, one hare and three birds. The wolf was hungry, but he didn't feel like eating. Whenever he thought about Spencer his hunger disappeared and he felt guilty.  
How could he have done this, betraying Spencer like this? If he had really felt at home with the dogs, he would never have done it. But they were dogs and he was a wolf, he didn't belong there. However, he had started to realize he didn't belong with the wolves either. They treated him like a piece of junk, like he was trash, worth nothing, yet they wanted him back in action, provide food for the pack. Why? Did they just need a member for their dirty work and their bullying?  
He had never really been bullied in Ōu; all dogs were afraid of him, but they had never dared to say anything to him; this made him feel bad, however, almost as bad as the bullying here, but at least the dogs hadn't tried to attack him or wounded him so bad he couldn't speak anymore… He could clearly remember when he woke up again and Kenshi had been there to care for him. He could still remember the wolf's words when Yoru tried to growl at him, but no sound came out.  
_''I know I abused you, hurt you and took your voice, but you're a wolf. Think about it, if you say yes, you will get so much more in return.''_, the leader had said. A tear rolled down Yoru's cheek as he glanced away from the food again.

_''But you took my voice… and I always thought it was something that I could never get back. however… Spencer gave me a voice again, he was the only one of the dogs that made me able to speak again. He understood me. none of you understand me… well, except for Mallory, but he's an outcast like me, we don't have any special bond…''_, Spencer thought, resting his head on his paws with a sigh.  
He heard voices and yelping all of a sudden and shot it back up, glancing around him, his ears perked. It sounded like someone was in pain, and hearing the other voices he guessed they were the ones hurting the poor thing, and they seemed to enjoy it.  
Yoru got to his paws and moved towards the sound, entering the heart of the wolves' main camp. There he saw what was happening; a group of wolves was attacking and hurting a white coated wolf, probably an outcast just like he was. They were pinning him down and biting him, jumping on him, and laughing about it all. When the bullied wolf turned his head and saw Yoru, he cried out for help. The black coated male recognized the poor creature's eyes; they were red. It was Mallory.  
Yoru opened his mouth to speak, to call out for him, but no sound came out. his throat hurt slightly and he groaned without any noise, his eyes narrowed slightly.  
''Yoru! Yoru! Help me! Please! Make them stop! Yoru!'', the albino wolf whimpered and whined, kicking with his paws and trying to hold off one of the bullies with his front paws, pushing against the animal's chest. The wolf was grinning at him, drool dripping from his jaws, but Mallory didn't pay attention to his expression, he kept his eyes focused on Yoru. ''Help me Yoru, please! I know it's you! I might have bad eye sight but I can smell, it's you!''  
''Scream all you want but the mute one won't come help you. He has decided to join our side, and Kenshi had promised to give him a higher rank and more respect. Which means he might even join us in our fun~''  
''No, stop! Please!'', Mallory screamed and he started to cry, tears streaming down his face. His eyes began to look even redder, giving the albino wolf a creepy look. ''STOP!''

Yoru dashed off towards the group, jumping right in between Mallory and the biggest bully, forcing the wolf to back off. ''Hey, what's this!? Why are you defending that useless pup!?'', the wolf snarled, a furious expression on his face. ''Get back and keep yourself out of this, this is our business, not yours! If you want to get more respect then you better keep yourself out of this!''  
Yoru shook his head as Mallory got up, standing behind him, his ears pressed against his skull. The mute wolf showed his teeth at the bullies, snapping at them. The wolves looked at Yoru in shock, one of them called for Kenshi who immediately appeared.  
''What's going on here!?'', he asked and he looked at the group of wolves, his eyes immediately fell on Yoru, who was protecting shivering Mallory from the bullies. ''Are you threatening Mallory again? How silly. But then I wonder… why are you defending the useless thing, Yoru?''  
Yoru's expression turned furious after Kenshi's last words and this time he showed his teeth at his own leader, causing the male to huff and suddenly dash forward, pinning Yoru to the ground. Mallory screamed and turned around, dashing out of the area. Yoru looked shocked at the albino wolf before staring at Kenshi, pushing at the male's chest. Kenshi, for some reason, stepped away from him, giving Yoru a chance to get up and run off just like Mallory.  
''You can run wherever you want, but you can't hide! We will find you and rip you to shreds someday!'', Kenshi yelled at them angrily, before grinning slightly. ''And I'm sure Ōu isn't the place where you can hide either. Those dogs won't accept wolves into their army anymore after what Yoru caused.'', he whispered to himself, licking his lips. He looked at one of the bullies who was now shivering slightly and he frowned. ''What are you standing there being a puppy? Get me Yoru's food to eat, now.''

''Yoru, wait! Where are we going? I know you can't speak but you gotta let me know! I need to know, somehow!'', Mallory screamed scared, his ears pressed against his skull as they ran. His words caused Yoru to stop, however, and Mallory almost bumped into him. ''Yoru?''  
Yoru turned his had to look at the albino wolf, staring him right in his red eyes. There was sadness in his own, a sign he didn't know at all where they were going. ''Oh… so you don't know…? But, we can't stay all alone, can we? I mean, we can't survive just with the two of us. We need others… right…?'', the white coated wolf asked and Yoru sighed, nodding. He stared at the ground for a moment, before his head lifted and his ears perked. He stared back at Mallory like he had thought of a great idea. ''What? Why are you looking at me like this?''  
Yoru stared At the ground and started scribbling something in the sand with his paw, forming words. He had never thought of this idea to communicate before, but it seemed like the best option he had now to be actually able to speak to Mallory. And he had an idea of where they could be going to now that they had fled from the other wolves.  
Mallory looked down at his scribbling in confusion, noticing the words Yoru was writing down; _''Let's go to Ōu together.''_  
''What? Ōu?'', Mallory asked shocked before looking at Yoru with a frown on his face. ''We can't go there, we are not dogs! And I thought you got attacked by that German Shepherd and chased off? What if he doesn't want you to return? You will get in serious trouble, and so will I because I'm a wolf as well and I travel with you. Are you insane?''  
Yoru huffed in response to the albino wolf and turned around, continuing to walk. Mallory swallowed and fell silent, following Yoru in a stalking position. He didn't want to go to the dogs, but he also didn't want to end up all alone. He was sort of Yoru's voice, while Yoru was _his_ eyes.

The two wolves reached the forest close near Gajou, stalking through it. It didn't take long before Gajou appeared in their view, the massive building made out of rocks standing tall like always. Yoru stopped and watched it carefully, looking behind him for only a few seconds to see if Mallory was still there with him. The albino wolf seemed to be and Yoru nodded in some sort of relief, turning his head back around to watch the dogs near Gajou, patrolling the area.  
He kept his eyes on the dogs, and on the entrance of Gajou. Trying to get back into the pack would become hard, because at the very moment wolves weren't very much friends with the dogs, and Yoru had been chased off by Spencer not long ago. The kid could either have cooled down or still be furious. And Yoru could remember the yearling had said he wouldn't be so lucky if their paths would cross again…  
''Hey, what is that?'', Mallory suddenly asked and Yoru glanced at him before looking at Gajou's entrance, hearing quite a turmoil all of a sudden. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better view, and realized it was Kai being chased by the dogs.  
The wolf had managed to get out of the massive building of rocks, even with his horrible wounds, and was trying to flee, make a run for it. And the dogs didn't seem like they were planning on letting the wounded wolf go that easily. ''They are chasing that wolf. Isn't that Kai, one of those triplet wolves? I heard he was imprisoned by the dogs.''  
Yoru nodded at Mallory's words, watching the scene unfold, how the dogs couldn't even keep up with a wounded wolf, heavily wounded. Pathetic. The mute wolf rolled his eyes in agitation, but suddenly stopped moving; he seemed to be thinking. ''What's up Yoru?''

Yoru didn't answer the albino wolf; he suddenly started running towards the dogs, and Mallory quickly followed him with a terrified squeak, afraid to follow yet also afraid to be left alone so suddenly. ''Yoru, wait! What are you doing!?''  
The mute wolf was trusting his guts, his bravery; if he could stop Kai from fleeing, then maybe the dogs would accept him again, trust him again. He realized he had made a mistake and that he wouldn't be forgiven that easily, but he would try his best to make things right again. He would, he was sure of that.  
Jumping into the group of dogs he started running after Kai, going faster than most of the dogs due to his body being sleek and made for running. Mallory fell a bit behind and suddenly got tackled by a German Shepherd mix; it was Spencer.  
''Why are you wolves here!? Are you here to save Kai!? Get out!'', the yearling snarled as he stood on top of Mallory, pinning the white coated wolf down to the ground, his paws resting on the wolf's chest. Mallory squeaked again in fear and called for Yoru's help. Yoru did look behind for once, but only for a moment, and soon again focused himself on the 'hunt', the chase after Kai.  
''Yoru! Why are you here!? I told you to leave!'', the voice of Spencer was heard through all the dogs' barking, but the mute wolf ignored his former friend, closing in on Kai.  
He jumped at the wounded wolf and pushed him down on the ground. Kai yelped and fell, face first, and had no chance to get up anymore as Yoru grabbed him by his neck.  
However, what had been into a chase and a plan to keep the wolf down turned into an actual hunt. Yoru's adrenaline started to rise and his instincts told him to kill as he met Kai's brown eyes which were filled with fear, with terror, like a prey giving one last look at its predator that hunted them. Anger, hurt, sadness, guilt, it all washed over Yoru and in the wink of an eye his teeth buried themselves through Kai's flesh.  
Kai started to scream and kicked with his paws, trying to get the mute wolf off of him, but it was no use, he wasn't strong enough.  
''Why Yoru!? I thought you were a wolf! I thought you stood on our side!? What happened to you!? Why are you doing this!?'', the terrified wolf screamed out, fury on his face, but fear shone through it. Yoru didn't hold back, he bit even harder; his bite became stronger.  
There was the cracking sound of bone breaking. This hadn't meant to happen, Yoru knew it, but it had happened. Out of random, out of instinct, Yoru had killed a fellow wolf that had tried to run from him.

''Yoru!'', a voice called out for him, anger in it. The wolf turned his head and perked his ears, staring in shock at Spencer who had come rushing over. He had let Mallory go, who stood in the back of the group shivering and surrounded by growling dogs, body showing complete submission and utter fear. Now it was Yoru's turn to be scolded, and he knew why. Not because he had shown up again but because he had killed a prisoner they should have kept alive and imprisoned. ''Yoru what did you do!? What did you think when you started following us!?'', Spencer yelled again but Yoru didn't cower one bit.  
He stared at the German Shepherd with cold eyes, blood covering his muzzle. He didn't make a single move, didn't even lick the blood of his muzzle even though he felt the need to. ''You killed him! You killed him, Yoru! We were supposed to keep him alive! Do you know what this means!? Now the wolves don't have a reason anymore to stay back! They will hear Kai has been killed and they will come our way and show no mercy!''  
''N-not if we stay quiet about it!'', Mallory suddenly spoke, carefully stepping closer to Spencer. When he noticed all eyes were nor on him he cowered and whimpered, wishing he hadn't said that.  
''And how are we supposed to trust wolves like you?'', Spencer asked with narrowed eyes, Mallory swallowed and laid flat on his belly, whimpering even more.  
''B-because we don't want to be part of the wolves anymore… We got bullied and treated as trash, like we were useless, worth nothing… I kept an eye on Yoru, I saw how the dogs treated him. even though you were dogs, you treated Yoru like your equal. Yoru feels bad for what he has done… we tried to make things right, we swear… We just wanna be part of your pack, we wanna serve you dogs, promise…'', Mallory whispered and all dogs looked at him like Mallory had made them start to think, like they were considering it to actually accept them into Ōu. Even Yoru stared at Mallory in disbelief; he had never thought the fearful wolf would ever say something like this, try to defend him like this.

''Spencer, what do you think?'', Gin suddenly asked, appearing from the back of the group. He stared at Spencer with a cold expression, just like Yoru had done. An I-don't-mind-what-you're-going-to-choose look he had to his eyes, just like Yoru probably didn't mind what Spencer would say to him next.  
''I, um…'', he whispered, not really sure anymore what else to say, what he should do, what he should choose. He looked at Gin and Weed, who now as well arrived from the back, standing behind his father and staring at Spencer, and then at the dogs around him. And lastly he looked at Mallory and then at Yoru. If they really wanted to be accepted again, if they really promised that they would stay by the dogs' side till the very end, then it wouldn't harm, right?  
Spencer sighed and lowered his head, shaking it. he had a pained expression on his face, before lifting his head again and looking at Yoru and Mallory with narrowed eyes. ''No, I can't accept you anymore. I don't trust you anymore. I wish I did, I wish I could, but no. You are wolves, we are dogs, and we are in war with each other. Go, please, and never come back. You make it so much harder for me…'', he said and Yoru now sighed as well, nodding his head slowly in understanding. He went to stand beside Mallory and help the frightened wolf up. ''Don't say anything about Kai, don't tell them he's dead. If you do and we find out, you two are dead.'', Spencer added and Yoru nodded again, turning around and leading Mallory away from the dogs. Both the wolves held their head low in shame as well as just simple respect. Once they were far away enough Mallory lifted his head slightly to look at Yoru in worry and confusion.  
''What now Yoru? They didn't accept us… What do we do now? Are we giving up…?'', he asked but Yoru shook his head in response. The male looked at the sky for a moment before staring at the forest in front of him, his eyes narrowed slightly.  
_'No, we're not giving up, not yet… We will fight alongside Spencer even if he doesn't know. even if he wants us gone, we will never be truly gone. We will make sure to end this war, and let those dogs win.''_


	21. Chapter 20

A brown Irish Setter mix with black spots strolled through the forest near Gajou, keeping an eye out for wolves while getting himself a snack to eat. He stalked a bit, his brown eyes darting around to see his surroundings, and to make sure what was what.  
When he noticed a small brown hair in the foliage he grinned and licked his lips, slowly walking forward, his floppy ears pressed back a bit and his head held low. He came closer and closer to his prey, ready to jump and strike at it.  
However, noises behind him, rustling in the bushes, and he quickly turned his head to look, an uncertain expression on his face. There was sudden growling and the dog whimpered, taking a few steps back. He started growling as well, curling up his lips to show his teeth, but his face held a frown; he was afraid, terrified, because he didn't know what was out there.  
''Hello? Anyone? Ben, is that you? Stop messing around, old man! I'm not into your games anymore!'', the Irish Setter mix yelled angrily, but there came no response, no voice, only growling and rustling.

A few yellow eyes lighted up in the darkness, appearing through the leaves of the dark green bushes. The Setter swallowed and took another step back. He tried his best to appear strong and ready to strike, but his body was cowering, his tail tucked between his legs.  
Three wolves jumped from the bushes and ran towards the dog, one grabbed the animal's muzzle like it was keeping him from biting him, while the other two wolves each grabbed a limp of the dog, and all three started to pull.  
The dog was in pain, terrible pain and yelped and whined, creaming for help, but his sounds were muffled due to main wolf holding on to his muzzle, keeping him from talking or attacking. The dog could hear his muscles rip and his tendons tear; the stinging pain was unbearable. But it didn't take long, because the wolves dropped the dog to the ground, the one wolf still holding on to his muzzle. The Irish Setter cried, tears streaming down, whimpers escaping his throat. He laid there broken and wounded, his limbs torn apart and bleeding. One of the two wolves that had been hurting him badly grabbed his throat and bit through, killing the dog in an instant. They then turned around and left, leaving the body to bleed and rot as they fled and disappeared into the dark forest. This was their mark; war would soon break lose.

''Why did you ask me to come?'', Spencer asked as he walked beside Weed, a curious look on his face as he looked at the tora-ge. Weed gave him a short glance before staring in front of him again, at the path they were walking. The adult dog let out a sigh, staring at the sky for a moment, his blue eyes seemed distant.  
''My father asked me a favor. He trusts you and he wants you to know the best fighting methods. He told me he believed you would stay loyal to us, even now that... you know, you've found out the truth about yourself. Your wolf blood.'', Weed responded, avoiding Spencer's eyes. The German Shepherd mix growled loudly, averting his eyes to the ground, his ears pressed back against his skull. ''I'm sorry for bringing it up again.''  
''It's okay... I just don't want to hear it anymore, I want everyone to stop talking about it... I would never betray Ōu. I'm a dog at heart. I am a dog and I'll stay a dog forever...'', Spencer mumbled and Weed nodded, no expression on his face at all.

''Understood.'', he simply responded; there was a moment of silence between the two before Weed started speaking again. ''That's why my father asked me this favor, Spencer. He wanted me to teach you hows to use the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, our family's move. That's a great honor since you're not part of our family or our bloodline in any way, you know that, right?''  
Spencer's head shot up and he looked at Weed with big wide eyes, they sparkled with excitement. There was confusion on his face at first, but it soon turned into excitement and the yearling started jumping up and down slightly. ''Spencer, please stay calm. I know you're excited but you have to focus.''  
''Oh yeah, sorry... I just... this is amazing! I never thought I would ever learn that move!'', Spencer said, he yipped in excitement. Weed sighed and rolled his eyes, moving on with their walk. The yearling followed him silently, but with a huge smile on his face. The two of them reached a tree, huge with multiple branches, they stopped in front of it and looked up.  
''Okay, this is your training ground, here you will learn the move. I will show you how it's done and you will continue from there on. You need to use the move properly to cut off the branches.'', Weed said and Spencer quickly nodded as the Akita Inu looked at him.  
''Okay. So I guess you use your teeth to cut, right? You speed up, jump, roll and while rolling you use your teeth to cut through the branches?'', Spencer asked and Weed nodded, looking back up again. ''Correct,'' the male said, smiling weakly now. ''But you don't bite. You don't put effort and strength in your jaw-use. You speed up and let the strength of the rolling and the sharpness of your teeth do the job for you. This move takes a lot of effort and strength; using your teeth to bite during it will take away even more of your strength. You won't be able to get back up if you use too much force.''  
''I got it. Let's get started.'', Spencer said and Weed nodded, giving him a look like he told the yearling to watch him, and he started running and jumped up, using the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga on one of the branches. It was a huge and thick branch, but Weed cut through it like it was nothing, like it was made out of paper.

He landed back on the ground, panting slightly, and looked at Spencer, sitting down and curling his tail around his body to get more comfortable. ''I took out a big branch, but since you're new a this move, you have to get started with a much smaller one. Just so you get to know you're strength and find out how to use it properly and with ease. I still, not fully master the move, it might take years before you master it, even with great practice, so you must be talented to get it done the first try.''  
''I got it, let me try~'', Spencer responded excited and Weed rolled his eyes again, but this time he actually did smile, something he hadn't done in a long time.  
The German Shepherd took a few steps back and hid body lowered slightly, as if he wanted to increase his speed. He then started running, speeding up even more, and tried to roll. But he failed, he couldn't even make a roll and bumped his head into a branch. He fell and groaned and Weed sighed in response, getting to his paws and walking over to the German Shepherd dog. He stood still watching the yearling slowly get to his paws. ''Why... why didn't it work?'', Spencer asked confused, a bit dazed, as he stared around him.  
''You didn't do it right. You need to pick your target first. You randomly started running and speeding up. First choose your target and then run. Don't take a step back, just run and speed up. Try making a roll on the ground first so you don't hurt your head.'', Weed said with a serious look and tone, but it was clear in his face he was struggling to keep a laugh.  
''I can roll on the ground! That's way too easy!'', Spencer said annoyed but Weed shook his head. The Akita Inu nodded at the ground, wanting Spencer to show off his rolling skills. With a huff Spencer sat and stared at Weed with a grumpy face, before finally giving in to his teacher's demands. ''Okay, jeez. I will roll for you, Senpai.'', he said sarcastically before bending forward and rolling over the ground. It was a bit weird looking and awkward at first, but the dog soon managed to get some better rolling skills. ''See? I used to do this a lo as a pup because I actually tried practicing myself this move. I had a wild fantasy but at least it got me somewhere...''

''Okay good, now choose your target and start running, speed up, use that rolling in the air instead of on the ground and you'll get it right. And remember; don't bite, that's too much force and effort and it will tire you down quicker.'', Weed said and Spencer nodded.  
The younger dog looked at the tree and searched for a small branch, starting off easy because Weed had told him to. He narrowed his eyes, clearing his view, until he had found a small branch somewhere on the right. ''You got one? Good. Do as I told you. Use those rolling skills. If you don't roll you better not use the move at all.''  
Spencer nodded again and tried to clear his head, taking a deep breath. He started running, speeding up quickly and he jumped up, trying to get himself to rolling. He sort of managed a roll, but there wasn't enough speed; he didn't make it to the branch and fell again. ''You wanna quit yet?'', Weed asked, teasing him; there was a grin on his face. Spencer huffed at him and shook his head and getting to his paws again. He tried again and again and again, each timed sharpening his skills a little bit. Whenever he would fall or fail he would try again; he wouldn't give up till he had managed to use this famous and legendary move. He had seen Weed use it, so it was possible. He had to be able to use it, too.

After hours of hard work he had done a rather good job; a lot of small branches laid on the ground around him, even a few bigger branches. He finally was able to roll in the sky, and to speed up. And he had listened to Weed's instructions and advice; he was ready. At least, he thought he was ready.  
''You've done a great job.'', Weed said, ending up beside him and looking at him with a weak smile. However, the smile soon enough faded. ''It's still not perfect, though... but I'm sure you will manage to use it correctly if you practice more.''  
''Practice more?'', Spencer asked rather bluntly, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted heavily. Weed let out a chuckle, amazed by Spencer's headstrong actions.  
''No, you've done a great job today. You're worn out and exhausted, you should rest. And it's also getting close to night, we should head back to Ōu and sleep. Tomorrow we can practice again. I promise we will.'', Weed said and he poked Spencer's shoulder, turning around and gesturing for the yearling to follow him. ''I gotta be honest with you; I hadn't expected you to grow with your skills this fast. You've improved a lot in only one day, whiled most dogs would probably struggle with it for weeks or even months. Or as I said before, even years.''  
Weed stopped, causing Spencer to almost bump into him. Spencer looked at him in confusion as Weed gave him a smile, a sparkle in his blue eyes. Spencer and Weed had never been close; Weed had already tried to avoid him from to start, causing his father Gin to keep on bugging him to meet up with the German Shepherd and help him with training. But now the German Shepherd mix noticed something odd; Weed was actually smiling to him, and his next words really caught the yearling off guard. ''I'm proud of you, Spencer.''  
''Um... uh... thank you, leader...'', Spencer managed to bring out, stuttering. He blushed slightly and stared st the ground, not sure what else to say. But he smiled, because he had finally managed to earn Weed's trust and friendship; his hero had finally taken a liking to him, the one dog he had always wanted to be like, the one he had always wanted go meet.

He wanted to say something, thank the Akita Inu again, but something ruined their precious bonding moment. Ben came rushing from the forest, a wild look in his eyes. He called out for Weed, for his leader, and didn't even bother noticing Spencer there.  
''Leader, we've got a huge problem on our hands. The wolves have attacked one of our soldiers, a tracker; Maro. We've found him dead in the forest near Gajou. His muzzle was scarred and his limbs broken and torn to pieces. They had ripped his throat out. And we didn't even notice, leader, we didn't even notice he was being attacked! We're so sorry!'', Ben yelled, fear in his brown eyes. He lowered his head, crawling into a bowing position to show Weed he was sorry, that all other soldiers were sorry.  
''Maro... Don't worry Ben, we will take care of this. We will return to Gajou immediately and divide the plans. If the wolves can sneak up on us and harm our soldiers without us noticing until it's too late, we can do it, too. But we won't lower ourselves to sneaky killing, we will get ourselves a spy to find the wolves' hideout.'', Weed said, before looking at Spencer with a serious expression on his face once again. ''Spencer, follow me, we gotta get back now.''  
With those words Weed started running towards Gajou, followed by Ben and Spencer in the back. The three dogs came rushing from the forest, Ben calling everyone with barks to assign a meeting. They would choose a spy to find the wolves' hideout, so they would be able to locate them and attack them. ''I already know a dog who can be our spy. Spencer, I ask you, do you agree with my choice?''  
''Who were you thinking of?'', Spencer asked curiously, looking at Weed as he sped up and ended up running beside the Akita Inu.  
''I was thinking about your grumpy friend, that pug. William. He's small and can hide easy that way. What do you say?'', Weed asked and Spencer smiled, nodding. He agreed with Weed's decision; William would soon in the upcoming meeting be assigned as Ōu's main spy.


	22. Chapter 21

A group of five dogs run through the forest, three of them brown Labrador Retrievers, one a Rottweiler and one a Doberman. The five dogs moved in line, making sure they were safe from any attacks. Their mission was to find the wolves' hideout and return with information about it, as well as the exact location.  
The dogs heard voices and stopped running, looking at each other before carefully stalking towards the source pf the sound. They stumbled upon an open area, filled with wolves. The five dogs held their breath as they watched the canines in the area move around and talk. They looked at each other, not sure what to do next. The Rottweiler searched around him for the rocks Gajou, to find out at what location the wolves where hiding themselves. When he saw the rocks further in the distance he gave the other four dogs a silent sign to turn around and leave, to report to the leader.  
However, when they turned around and were ready to leave there was a growl behind them and the dogs turned their heads to look and saw a few wolves running towards them. The dogs tried to flee, but four were captured and brutally slayed by the bloodthirsty canines. The Rottweiler managed to escape and ran as fast as he could, as far as his paws could carry him, until he rushed out of the forest upon Ōu's terrain.  
''Boru, What happened!? Where are the others!?'', Ken said as he and his father Ben rushed over to help the panting and exhausted dog. The Rottweiler called Boru slowly got to his paws, drool dripping from his jaws. ''Boru, speak to us!''  
''They're dead... They were slayed by the wolves...'', Boru finally whispered, a terrified look in his brown eyes. His whole body shook and shivered, he could barely stand on his legs. ''I saw them getting killed in front of my eyes, brutally murdered...''  
''Oh no... Did you find their hide out? Do you know their location? Please, answer us.'', Ben said and Boru looked up at them, swallowing. He slowly nodded his head, causing Ben and Ken to sigh in relief. ''Where?''  
''N-not far from here, somewhere in deep parts of the forest... near Futago Pass, north from there...'', the tired dog mumbled, falling onto the ground and closing his eyes, passing out.

''What? North from Futago Pass? I've been there before.'', Spencer said, who had heard seen the Rottweiler coming their way and had heard the conversation. He ended up beside Ben, looking at the Great Dane. ''That's when I first came to Ōu, when I met Kenshi for the first time, when he let us through for some odd reason while we were clearly the enemy.''  
''Really? So they're hiding out there?'', Ben asked, looking at Boru, who didn't answer but instead slept. His eyes went back to Spencer and to Ken, a tired look on his face. ''Bring Boru inside and let him rest. I will find Weed and tell him the location. We will send out William as our spy towards the area and he'll come back with information about the wolves' plans.''  
''No, wait.'', Spencer said, looking at Ben as Ken tried pulling the big heavy Rottweiler on his back. Ben gave him a confused look before Spencer started speaking again. ''William is small, he has stubby lags that can't carry him far. Someone needs to bring him to the hideout and drop him off. With his body build it will take days before he's there or even back.''  
''I know you're worried about him, Spencer, but carrying him there is no excuse to be able to come along and keep an eye on him.'', Ben said and Spencer whimpered, but in response the old Great Dane shook his head only more. ''Besides, you're big. You can't hide as well as William can. You will have to let him go alone. I'm sorry, boy...''  
''But... okay... I understand...'', Spencer responded with a sad mumble, before turning to Ken and helping the dog with supporting Boru, bringing the sleeping dog towards the rock building. On his way they came past William, who was on a morning stroll and his attention had been caught by the commotion.

''S'up?'', he asked as he stopped to look up at Spencer. Ken looked at the yearling before moving on, leaving the two friends to speak to each other.  
''William, Weed's probably gonna send you out towards the wolves' hideout soon. The patrollers found the area, and since you are small they won't notice you, so you gotta go there.'', Spencer said and the pug nodded, sitting down.  
''I know that, kid. I'm ready to go.'', he said but Spencer shook his head, a worried look in his blued eyes as he looked down at his grumpy older friend. He muttered: ''But the problem is that you have to go alone and it's pretty far. You will take days to get there and days to return. You will be exhausted, thirsty, hungry. Even if you return you might not survive because it's hard for you with your size to hunt prey... I'm sorry, I know you don't like me saying these things but you're my friend and I'm worried about you... After all the things we've been through together, you're my friend, even if you still think I'm an annoying brat.''  
''I know...'', William mumbled, looking up at Spencer, a weak smile appearing on his face. ''I now yer worried and yer my friend, too. Ya aren't that little brat anymore I used to know. Yer grown up now, for the biggest part.''  
''Thank you. Good luck, William.'', Spencer said and William nodded, getting to his paws. He turned around, telling Spencer he would go look for Weed to get the assignment for the mission and to ask for further instructions. He looked at the German Shepherd mix one last time, smiling and saying: ''Thank ya too, friend.''  
With those words he walked off to find their leader, and Spencer rushed over to Gajou to see if Ken had managed to bring Boru inside for the dog to rest. War was getting closer.

The little pug ran on his stubby legs, panting from the long journey he had already made. He had left Ōu two days ago in search for the wolves' hideout had fed himself on berries and already died prey on his way. He huffed to himself, amused of how Spencer had been wrong to worry so much about him.  
_''I've managed to survive until now and I'm still not tired enough to stop running. And I've found food on my own. Why did he worry so much? I might be an old stray dog but I still know some survival tricks~''_, he thought, a grin plastered on his face. He reached some bushes and crawled through them, but got stuck on one of the sharp branches. He groaned and started pulling, trying to break free, but his red collar was stuck and tangled in the leaves.  
''Stupid collar! Yer only a nuances!'', the pug yelled angry, nipping at the red colored thing around his neck and still pulling. Finally he managed to free himself by turning around and pulling the collar over his head. The thing hung from the branch, lonely and left alone by the small dog. William sighed in relief, glad the collar around his neck was finally gone after these years. ''It was a good friend but I'm glad I'm rid of it, and it's only better because if I get spotted by the wolves, they won't be able to catch me that easily because they have nothing to really grab or hold on to...'', William whispered to himself, nodding at his words. He turned around and ran again, forgetting about his collar, leaving it behind in the bushes.

The dog jumped over fallen tree trunks and on rocks, searching for the hideout, following the coordinates the exhausted Rottweiler had given him. He noticed he was close to Futago Pass and started running faster, entering the large pass and moving on from there. He ran up hills and jumped up rocks to get higher up again, entering a huge forest; the hideout had to bed close, somewhere near here, and William would make sure to find it.  
After running a few more miles the pug heard voices and started stalking, trying t calm his racing heart and to get his heavy breathing more under control. He hid in a few bushes and stared at the open area full of wolves.  
''There ya filthy mutts are...'', he whispered, his amber eyes narrowed at the canines. He wanted t get a bit closer to hear what they were talking about, but fell back once a brown coated wolf walked past him, his yellow eyes scanning the area; a patroller, one that kept his eyes out for intruders, it seemed.  
The wolf sniffed the air around him and suddenly his eyes flew down towards where William was hiding. The pug cowered and fell back, but the wolf had already smelled him and warned the others.  
''Dog! Dog in the bushes!'', he yelled and some wolves were rushing over, big strong ones, with probably a lot of muscles underneath their thick coat.  
William was snatched out from underneath the bushes and thrown on the ground. The little dog gasped for air and struggled to get up, kicking with his stubby legs at the sand around him. He looked up when he heard paw steps coming his way and he saw it was Kurai, the General. The male looked down at him with an angry look, but it soon turned into a confused stare and not long after he started laughing. The other wolves looked confused at him. ''Sir, it's a dog, our enemy. Why are you laughing?''

''Don't you see? It's a little fellow. No, he's extremely tiny, he's a little mouse. You were scared of that little rat, Rull?'', Kurai asked and he burst out laughing again, sounding like a completely insane maniac, before grinning at the brown coated wolf that had spotted William. ''Ooooh, a little rat, I'm sooo afraidddd~''  
''General, stop messing around. It's still a dog, and our enemy. We can't let him escape.'', Rai spoke, an annoyed look on his face. Next to him stood his older brother, Zai, who kept his mouth shut but still held an eye on William, grinning at the dog. ''And everyone knows the dogs killed our older brother...''  
''The dogs didn't kill him. I saw them chase Kai but it was that betrayer Yoru who killed Kai. I can't believe Kenshi gave him another chance... He should have been dead by now.'', one of the wolves said and Rai looked at him in shock. A growl erupted from his throat and he jumped at the male, pinning him down to the ground.  
''You knew it was Yoru and you didn't tell us anything!? I've been bringing that filth food the first few days after he had come back! You... you...!''  
''Easy Rai. You and Zai will get your revenge soon...'', General Kurai spoke, his expression suddenly serious and normal again. He eyed William with a frown, looking him up and down. ''Seems like this fellow has been traveling for days. He seems hungry. We don't need to kill him, we can just not give him anything to eat and throw him back into the forest. He will die on his own soon enough. He seems stupid enough to die out there, he probably doesn't belong with Ōu. Those dogs wouldn't accept useless little rats like this~''

William growled in response, jumping to his paws. He snapped at Kurai's paws who took a few steps back and grinned, laughing again. ''Oh how wonderful, he still has some fighting spirit left, the useless creature~''  
''I'm not useless ya big old flea ball! I'm William and I'm gonna tell Ōu all about your plans! I'm gonna tell where ya'll hide and they'll come to kill ya'll!'', the pug yelled angrily and Kurai's grin disappeared. The wolves stared at William as he ran off, before dashing after him, trying to catch him. ''He's from Ōu, he's from Ōu! Kill him!'', one of the wolves yelled as they tried to catch him, but William had managed to get away and hidden himself in an old rabbit hole.  
''Okay, I shouldn't have told them I was from Ōu, and that I was gonna tell them their plan...'', William muttered to himself as he looked behind him, before moving further into the rabbit hole. ''Oh well, I've already done it... But at least I got away, they can't catch me here. However, is there a way out...?''  
William decided to just go for it and moved through the rabbit hole, going deep and deeper into the darkness. He didn't look behind him anymore, only at the nothingness in front of him, until he reached two different tunnels, both leading elsewhere; one left and one right. The pug stopped and looked at his options, deciding to turn left at first, not sure where he would head out.  
After a few minutes of crawling he came across another another three tunnels, this time choosing the one in front of him. It felt like an eternity, but after a long time he saw light st the end of the tunnel and started, running for as far as he could so that, rushing over towards it. He carefully peeked his head out, looking around him, but there was no wolf to be seen. It still smelled like wolf all around him, but those canines had been all over the place, even near Gajou already, so smelling them didn't mean they were there.  
Carefully he came out of the hole and shook off his pelt, before rushing into the forest, keeping cover underneath bushes and behind rocks. He had to make sure he would get back to Gajou alive and tell Ōu he had been spotted, before the wolves would reach Gajou and attack the dogs.f


	23. Chapter 22

''Are you insane!? You should have kept your mouth shut! You stupid pug!'', Ben yelled angry as he stood there in a dominance stance, looking down at the small trembling pug laying between his front paws. But even though William was trembling and shivering, he was still growling.  
''Okay so I accidentally told about Ōu, but I'm just stupid!'', William yelled back, showing his teeth at the bigger and much stronger dog. In response Ben sighed and shook his head, taking a few steps back and looking at Weed with worry in his brown eyes.  
''Leader, your orders?'', he asked, giving William one last angry glance before turning around completely and showing the pug his back. Weed looked at Ben before looking at the pug, a serious and rather distant expression on his face.  
''We can't do anything against this, it has already happened, we cannot go back in time.'', he said, turning around and jumping on a rock, looking at all his fellow wild dogs, at his followers. He gave his father a short glance who nodded in approval, and then his blue eyes fell back on the other dogs. ''Everyone, prepare for war! The wolves will probably be here sooner or later, and we better make sure we're ready if we want to defend Gajou and keep it as our own! All four platoons get into your position! Move out to defend your part of the territory!''  
''Too late~'', suddenly an unknown voice cooed and the dogs turned their heads, all at once, to look at who had invaded their home. It were the wolves, a whole army of them, with Kenshi and Kurai standing in front; the two most important wolves had come with their army to join the fight. ''You're going to give Gajou to us right now or you'll be sorry~''  
''And once we've taken Gajou, we take more- Where is Spencer?'', Kenshi asked, his eyes darting over the dogs that were standing there, paws frozen to the ground, they couldn't move. ''Since he's part wolf he belongs with us, so e will come with us, and fight along our side.''

''I refuse!'', Spencer yelled as he came rushing out of the crowd of dogs, standing tall and growling at the wolves. He rapidly shook his head before yelling again. ''I refuse to join the wolves! I am a dog, and that will never change! You can't make me join you, you can't make me fight my own kind, my friends and family!''  
''Oh but they are not your family, I am~'', Kurai spoke again, a grin plastered on his face as he looked at the yearling. ''Come with me and I will tell you everything I know about your ancestors and your mother.''  
''My mother... what about her?'', Spencer asked and Kenshi stepped forward, a loud growl erupting from deep within his throat. He snarled at the German Shepherd mix: ''Well we can't make you join us but we can make you our slave! Refuse to join us and we will take you down and bring you along against your will. My General finds it very important you join us, so I promised him I would get you along, so don't make this any harder for us, or yourself. Come with us.''  
''Never mind! I don't wanna know anything about my mother! You will probably lie about her anyway! I won't come along! I refuse! You will have to kill me if you ever want me to come, because you will have to drag my dead body with you!'', Spencer snarled in response to Kenshi, taking a few steps back and standing beside Weed who had jumped off the rock and joined him in the crowd. ''Weed, give us the sign, let us rip their throats open! They're pathetic!''  
''Stay calm, Spencer... I wanna avoid a war here, if you start attacking them now we will have a hue fight upon us, with many deaths. Be reasonable for once.'', Weed said, still that same serious look on his face. He didn't look at Spencer but instead kept his eyes on Kenshi and Kurai as a soft growl came from his throat, his serious expression slowly turned a bit angry. ''We will not fight yet...''

''If you refuse to come along, Spencer, we will come and get you.'', Kenshi said before looking at Kurai, nodding at the half breed. The wolf mix looked behind him at the army of wolves that stood behind him and Kenshi, waiting for a sign. He let out a howl, a sign they had to attack, and Kenshi was the first one to start running, followed by Kurai and all the others. ''Forward and show no mercy! Keep Spencer alive till I say so! Gajou is ours!''  
The dogs stood still, they didn't move. Instead they watched the wolves come their way, biting their lips and trying to stay calm as they prepared and braced themselves for impact. The impact was huge, they crashed into each other and threw each other to the ground; it was immediately a brutal and bloody fight as ears were ripped off and canines blinded by teeth, limbs and sides torn open.  
In the commotion Spencer crawled around in fear, ears pressed against his skull and his bright blue eyes darting around the area. He found William hiding behind a rock and joined him, laying down on his belly and looking at the pug with worry.  
''This is worse than I had expected... You're not going to fight?'', he asked the small dog, who shook his head and looked at him, his amber eyes holding a look like he was telling Spencer to stay quiet. Spencer looked away, staring at the ground, he felt really ashamed for the answer he gave William. ''Me neither... I learned the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, but Weed told me to use it only when I was in great danger... That's the case now, but I'm too afraid to go out there and fight. I don't know why, I'm just scared.''  
''We're all scared.'', William said, his voice sounded resolute and he stared at the war with amber eyes full of bravery. ''Let's just hide here till we have more room to move.''  
''You're scared? You don't look or sound like it.'', Spencer said but William only shrugged, shaking his head afterwards. ''I am scared,'' he muttered. ''But I'm great at hiding it. That doesn't make me brave, though.''  
''You're wise.'', the yearling said but William shook his head again, looking away with an ashamed look on his wrinkled face. ''I'm only but a fool...'', he whispered and Spencer looked away as well; an uneasy silence washed over the two as they kept an eye on the fight out there.

''Spencer, there you are!'', a voice came from behind them and Spencer jumped up in shock, turning around to face the big Doberman Boss, who was wounded pretty badly and seemed blind on his left eye now. The adult dog panted and almost stumbled, stopping in front of Spencer and nudging the yearling. ''Oh I was so worried, I'm glad you're alive! You and William have to leave, before the wolves find you. Remember Kurai wants to have you. If they can get Gajou then at least they can't get you, hurry up and leave. William will be your company.''  
''No, I can't, I wanna stay with you all. We will win this battle, I'm sure of that, please don't make me leave...'', Spencer whispered, tears forming in his eyes. ''What about you...? I want you to come, too...''  
''I can't come Spencer, I have to help Ōu fight off the wolves and protect Gajou. I'm one of the warriors, they can't miss me. And they can't miss you either but right now you have to leave, go to a safe place. Weed ordered you.'', Boss said, is voice was growing a bit annoyed and impatient. ''Leave and come back when it's safe. Maybe you can find more dogs on your way who are willing to join us. Please, just leave and make sure you're safe, take William with you. Go!''  
Spencer nodded, tears falling down his cheeks. He got to his paws and looked at William who did the same and started running. Spencer followed him, running in a bit slower pace so the pug could keep up with him. Boss watched them leave, a worried expression on his face. ''If only William hadn't lost his collar Spencer would be able to carry him and then they would be out of here, faster...''  
Boss shook his head and turned around, leaving the hiding place and joining into the battle again, bringing down a wolf that came his way. All that time while he fought he wished Spencer and William would be safe.

''Where is Spencer!? Where is the German Shepherd!?'', Kenshi snarled as he pinned down Boss; the fight had lasted for a while and most of the dogs and wolves had fallen, but there were still a lot left. Kenshi looked around him as he crushed the poor Boss, who laid there bleeding on the ground, groaning as he tried to get up but found no way to. ''Hmm... I guess he fled... We will keep an eye on Gajou until he's back. But until then... let's take over this territory and make it our own, finally.''  
His amber eyes fell on Weed, who growled at him loudly. He stood in front of Gin, who laid on the ground heavily wounded, and he refused to step aside.  
''Gajou is ours, we've fought long for it and we've earned it. We won't back down this easily!'', Weed snarled, his tail raised in a dominant position. ''And we will fight each other till the winner is decided!''  
''Oh so YOU want to FIGHT me and the winner is the new owner of Gajou? Challenge accepted, youngster. Prepare for death.'', Kenshi said and he stepped off Boss, giving the Doberman a chance to finally breathe again. The wounded dog slowly got to his paws with effort and panted heavily as he slowly crawled away from the scene, collapsing somewhere to rest. He watched Weed and Kenshi rush towards each other and closed his eyes just before they crashed into each other, turning his head away from the battle.  
His view was blurred as he watched the dogs and wolves around him, standing side by side and watching the battle between the two leaders. They stood side by side, just watching; no fighting, not even hateful looks towards each other, like they were friends and brothers.  
Boss growled at the sight, groaning in pain as he could barely move anymore. _''This is madness... We are not enemies, we are allies... If only sick bastards like Kenshi and Kurai wouldn't exist, we wouldn't have to fight this war. Then we wouldn't even have war... Kenshi just wants have power, he's just like that Hougen... Oh Spencer, I hope you're safe...''_  
At the last thought tears started welling up in his eyes and he tried blinking them away, but his blinking caused them to fall anyway. They ran down his cheeks, staining the ground below his head. He closed his eyes, letting out a shivering breath as he drifted off to sleep, forgetting about his pain for a while.


	24. Chapter 23

Yoru and Mallory stalked through the forest, hiding themselves in the shadows near Gajou as they looked for food. The two silently moved past a river, looking at the bright water for fish, the grey sky above them reflected. There were a few fish swimming around and Yoru moved closer, standing on the edge. He pawed at the water carefully, trying to make the creatures change their direction, but since the fish were swimming upstream all the did was move further sway towards the edge on the other side.

Yoru sighed in annoyance, huffing slightly as he turned his head to look at Mallory. The white coated male shrugged in response and held his head low, staring hungrily at the water. Yoru turned his head away, marching up the stream as his eyes stayed on the little water creatures that tried to flee from them.

''Maybe wed should get something easier... Maybe some berries?'', Mallory asked as he followed Yoru carefully, his body low to the ground, cowering. Even though Yoru had helped him out, Mallory was still afraid of almost every wolf; he had always been an omega and he would probably always stay an omega. ''I'm so hungry...''

Yoru gave Mallory an angry glance, showing off his teeth, since he couldn't let out any sounds. He gave a flick of his tail, before he continued walking. Mallory gave him a confused look, before following him again. ''Why are you angry with me? What did I do? Really Yoru, sometimes it's hard to make out what you're trying to say, even though I can read body language well... I know you're angry, but I don't know why you are angry.''

Yoru ignored Mallory but instead kept walking along the stream, his eyes on the path they were following, his head held low as his ears were pushed back sightly. The albino wolf sighed, looking around him before smelling something. ''Hey, wait...''

But Yoru didn't wait, he really ignored Mallory. The wolf looked at him and swallowed, turning around and walking in the direction of the scent. ''Fine, I will go look for it on my own then...''

The albino moved away and entered a small open area, surrounded by high pine trees and birches. There were a lot of beautiful flowers in the area; pink, purple, red, yellow, orange, blue. And many more tints in between. Mallory stood there still, jaws slightly parted as he was amazed by the sight, blinking a few times.

He stepped further into the area and smelled the flowers; his sight was getting worse with the day, he was almost turning blind, but his smelling skills were increasing, and the flowers smelled better each day.

''This is amazing, what is this place?'', the wolf asked himself as he looked around him at the blurs of colors. This one scent he had smelled before hit his nostrils again, the scent of food. He turned his head and followed the scent, walking towards the source. He ended up in the very middle, reaching the scent of meat. ''Food, yum.'', he said, licking his lips and bending down to take a bite from the fresh meat.

All of a sudden something was felt around his front leg, something sharp and strong tightening around it. Mallory yelped in shock and pain, pulling back, but that caused it to hurt even more. He didn't really see clearly what it was, but it looked like metal. That's when it hit him.

His bad sight had actually just now saved his life; it was a trap, a metal trap with sharp teeth made by humans to catch wild animals. It was big enough to fit around his neck and choke him to death. But instead it had grasped the male's paw, because his bad sight had made him walk a bit past the meat.

''Yoru! Yoru help me! I'm stuck and it hurts! YORU!'', the albino wolf screamed, calling out for help. Out of panic and fear he started pulling and turning and twisting but that only hurt more, causing him to do it even more and hurt himself more and more. He could feel the metal teeth clamped around his leg, cutting through his flesh and screeching on his bone. ''YORU, PLEASE!''

Out of the forest came a black wolf rushing his way, it was Yoru who had heard his calls and turned around to return to him. The male looked at the trap, the metal around Mallory's leg, and he tried biting it open, but his teeth weren't strong enough. He took a few steps back and examined the trap again, but he saw no way to open it up.

_''Oh no this is bad... how do I get him out...? There is no way, is there? My teeth aren't strong enough and branches will break...''_, he thought worried, looking around him for another solution, but there wasn't any in sight. _''Do I need to leave Mallory behind? I can't do that...''_, he thought and he bit his lip, feeling guilt and fear wash over him.

''Yoru, what are you standing there? It hurts, please do something... get me out, please...'', Mallory whimpered but Yoru shook his head, tears forming in his eyes as he slowly turned around. The fear in Mallory's eyes was massive as he turned his head to look at Yoru. ''What are you gonna do? Are you leaving me behind...? Don't do this Yoru, please...''Yoru didn't listen, he just walked off, his eyes on the ground as tears fell, he didn't wanna do this. He didn't want to leave Mallory behind but he had no choice; there was no way he could get the male out of that trap, not alone. But there was no one who wanted to help him. No wolves, no dogs; they were outcasts on both sides.

He didn't see where he was walking, he didn't notice the creature up ahead deep in thoughts as well, coming his way. They bumped into each other and Yoru heard groaning. The voice was all too familiar to him and he looked up in confusion to see Spencer all alone, standing there with narrowed eyes due to the pain in his head.

_''Spencer? What is he doing here, so far away from Gajou?''_, Yoru thought as he looked at the yearling. Spencer looked up at him, the same confused look in his eyes and he took a few steps back, a growl escaping his throat.

''Yoru, why are you on Ōu's grounds? Where is Mallory?'', he asked and suddenly Yoru got an idea. He looked at the German Shepherd mix with begging eyes and the dog looked back with a frown. ''What? What's up?'', he asked the wolf, confused. Yoru moved closer to him and grabbed him by his scruff, pulling him along with force. ''Ouch, Yoru! Knock it off! I will follow you, okay? Just let go of me already!''

Yoru did as Spencer asked and turned around. He started running towards the area where he had last seen Mallory, Spencer following him with an uneasy feeling in his guts. The two canines reached the area where Mallory was still stuck and Spencer stopped, staring.

''I see now... Mallory got trapped.'', he simply said and Yoru nodded, begging the dog to come and help. Spencer didn't hesitate and walked after the wolf, meeting up with the poor Mallory. ''Don't worry Mallory, we will, get you out. One way or another.''

''Wait, what do you mean by that? You're not saying you're gonna chew off my paw if you can't free me, right...?'', the albino wolf asked and Spencer grinned, nodding his head and responding with: ''That will be our last idea left if none of the others work.''

He joked around a bit, even though it was not all that funny; Spencer just wanted Mallory to calm down and laugh for a moment, so he wouldn't feel that scared anymore, but it seemed like it made Mallory's fear only worse. ''Sssh Mallory don't worry, it's okay. We will find a way. Try to stay calm.'', the kid said, talking like the bad things between him and these two wolves had never happened.

''Yoru, help me break this open. Go stand on that side and try to pull that side open with your teeth. I will do the same here.'', he said and Yoru nodded, doing as he was told. Spencer did the same and they bit and pulled, trying to open the metal trap around Mallory's leg. It was a very strong thing; it wasn't going to be that easy, it seemed. ''Come on, we have to pull harder. Put all your strength in it. Let's break it apart.'', Spencer spoke again and both the canines put all their strength and effort in pulling the two metal jaws apart. They managed to get it done a little bit, but soon enough they let go again because their jaws couldn't hold on much longer.

The trap clamped itself around Mallory's leg again and the white wolf yelped, his red eyes filling with tears. ''It hurts! It hurts! GET ME OUT!''

''Mallory, ssssh! We're sorry! You need to help us, okay?'', Spencer said and Mallory nodded, biting his lip as tears stung his eyes, rolling down his cheeks. ''Yoru and I pull the jaws open together and when you feel it's being lifted from your skin, pull up your paw and step aside, then we will let go again and you will be free.''

Mallory nodded and closed his eyes firmly, afraid of what they were going to do. Yoru and Spencer repeated their actions, pulling at the metal. There were sounds close near them, growing louder; human voices. The two canines pulled faster and the jaws opened; Mallory pulled up his paws, freeing his leg. He yelped and took a step back, stumbling and falling on his back.

Yoru and Spencer let go of the trap and it shut tight again, a bit of Mallory's blood stuck to it's sharp teeth. Spencer looked up, his ears perking at the sounds. ''Humans...?''

''Hunters... we gotta get out of here! They're gonna kill us!'', Mallory whimpered, getting to his paws, but he groaned and lifted his wounded leg, blood dipping from the wound; a small part of the bone was visible, due to the skin being ripped off at that spot.

Yoru didn't hesitate and immediately ran over to Mallory, supporting him and grabbing his scruff, pulling the wounded wolf on his back. He looked at Spencer and then ran off, hoping the dog would follow him. Spencer looked around the area in confusion before suddenly a loud sound rung in his ears; gunshots. The humans had them in sight.

Spencer started running, following the two wolves out of the area and through the forest. He couldn't believe humans would ever try to harm them, not liked this. He hadn't expected humans had tuned this evil.

''Why did those humans attack us? We didn't do anything wrong! In the city they never did this! All they did was yell at us and kick us aside or spit at us, but never shoot at us!'', the yearling said, trying to keep up with Yoru.

''Because in the city you're a stray dog. Here in the wild you are nothing but a nuance to the humans. These were hunters, humans that get paid to kill wolves and wild dogs. The dogs because they shouldn't be wild and the wolves because they believe wolves kill their sheep for food. Not that that they're wrong about that...'', Mallory answered and Spencer swallowed, pressing his ears against his skull. ''That's the life of a wild dog, Spencer... fleeing from hunters and hunting other animals to survive...''

''The life of a wild dog...'', Spencer whispered, staring at the ground as he ran. The three of them fled into a big cave Spencer hadn't even noticed yet, and they hid there from the hunters. Yoru lowered Mallory to the ground so the male could rest, before laying down himself. Spencer stood there panting heavily, listening o the sounds outside.

They waited all this time till the humans were gone. When everything was safe they came back out, looking around them to make sure it was indeed safe to go further. Spencer looked at them, a weak smile on his face.

''I'm glad we got you out, Mallory. You guys be safe, please... be more careful next time.'', he said and Mallory and Yoru looked confused at him. Mallory took a few steps forward, a worried look at the yearling.

''You're leaving us, aren't you? You're going back to Ōu.'', was all the wolf said, but Spencer shook his head in return. He whispered, afraid: ''I can't return yet. The wolves attacked Ōu. Kenshi and Kurai wanted to kidnap me because Kurai says he's my father, so Boss told me to leave and hide, till the wolves have fallen back again... William came along to keep me company. I need to go look for him.''

''You can get William and stay with us till they are gone, right Yoru?'', Mallory asked and Yoru nodded, but Spencer shook his head again.

''I need to do this on my own. They are looking for you as well, they want to kill you. At least, that's what I heard. You better hide on your own, and go your own way. Don't ask me to come along, I won't come. They are looking for me right now and I don't want them to find you and get you in trouble... I'm sorry... I gotta go...''

''But Spencer...'', Mallory begged, however, Spencer gave no response to that. ''I'm sorry, I really have to go and find William. We will meet again in the future, I promise. Just try to stay safe, stay alive, please.'', was all he said, before tuning around and running off. ''I promise we will see each other again, but for now it's goodbye.''

_''I helped them but that doesn't mean we're friends again... And even though I would liked to have more company, I can't get them into trouble, my trouble. I hope they will understand...''_


	25. Chapter 24

A reddish coated Akita Inu with white markings and brown eyes limped through the forest, his body covered in scars, his rear leg had been broken and had healed in a rather awkward way. One of his ears was torn and he missed a few teeth. It looked like he could die at any moment now, he had been through so much; still, he wouldn't die, not yet, not now.  
It was Ryota, Benji's father, the dog known as the cannibal around this place. However, he hadn't eaten any dogs in months. After he had fallen into the river he had become so wounded he could barely stand. These months alone he had survived by feeding himself with berries and hunting small hares, or stealing pieces of meat from human-made traps.  
The male limped slowly for a while until he collapsed somewhere near a river. He closed his eyes, panting heavily as he felt exhausted and tried to catch his breath. Hearing paw steps coming his way he opened one eye, staring up at a figure that stood in front of him, looking down at him.  
''Look what we have here. I've the feeling I've seen you before but I don't know from where, dog.'', the voice spoke and Ryota groaned, lifting his head slowly to look at the figure and blinking his eyes a few times.  
''Who... are you?'', he asked, feeling a bit dazed. When his view became more clear he realized it was a wolf, a brown coated wolf with mixtures of grey and white through it, his eyes were amber. There was a grin plastered on his face as he looked down at the Akita Inu.  
''I'm Kenshi, leader of the wolves.'', he responded. The grin faded from his face as he examined the dog. ''Are you part of Ōu? That dog pack near Gajou?''  
''No, I'm not. I had m own pack but I left them to find my son. He fled to Ōu with this German Shepherd dog, this yearling... I remember his name was Spencer.'', Ryota responded and the grin returned to Kenshi's face. ''Spencer you say?'', he asked and Ryota nodded. ''Oh wow, you're a lucky dog. We are looking for that kid, and where he is your son might probably be, too. Join us and help us take over Gajou and I promise you we will reunite you with your son. ''  
''Oh, that's great. I... I will join you.'', Ryota said and he smirked. ''Taking over Gajou, huh? If I help you, will I gain a high rank in your pack?''  
''Of course my friend, of course, I promise.'', Kenshi lied, helping the dog to his paws before supporting him and walking beside him, bringing him to the wolves' hideout. ''Follow me, I will bring you... 'home'.''

The wolves traveled through the hills the next day, closing in on Ōu. Kenshi walked in the front, together with Ryota and General Kurai; the two of them both walked on each side of their leader. Getting into their positions the wolves hid in the bushes, watching the dogs patrol the area. Ryota laid down somewhere too and eyed the territory, his brown eyes darting around. He still limped, buy he was less exhausted because Kenshi had given him a home and a good night's rest. Now he was ready for action, ready to attack the dogs and fight his son and take over Gajou and make it his own.  
''When are we gonna attack?'', he asked Kenshi who laid beside him. The wolf shook his head, not looking at him as he responded.  
''Not yet my friend, you have to be patient a little bit longer.'', he said and Ryota sighed, watching the dogs near Gajou again. ''Keep in mind that you are a follower and I'm your leader, you listen to my commands or General Kurai's commands, got it?''  
Ryota nodded, actually ignoring the wolf's words. He scanned the area, not because he was observing these dogs like the wolves were, but because he was searching for Benji, his son. His eyes fell on an Akita Inu, a blueish-grey coated one with white markings; his head shot up immediately at the sight. Was that his son? Was that Benji? ''Stay down, Ryota.''  
Ryota didn't listen, he jumped to his paws and ran out of the bushes, dashing off towards the dog he thought was his son. Growling and jumping at them, he crashed into the figure, pinning them to the ground. Immediately dogs came rushing their way, ready to attack, but from behind Ryota the wolves came as well, which caused the dogs to back off a bit.

The battle hadn't meant to start yet but thanks to Ryota's recklessness it had, and now wolves and dogs were crashing into each other and tearing each other apart again. Ryota had the dog pinned on the ground, looking down at them to see who it was. When he noticed it was indeed Benji, a growl erupted from his throat. A grin spread across his face.  
''We finally meet again, son.'', he simply said, causing Benji to stare up in fear and whimper, before growling back and trying to kick Ryota off of him. The adult dog jumped off of his son, taking his distance as he kept his eyes on the yearling. ''You thought I were dead, hmm? Well look again; I'm here, and this will be the last time we see each other.''  
''Why are you still alive!? Why did you join those wolves!? You are the worst father in the world, you know that!?'', Benji snarled at him and Ryota growled back. ''Why!?''  
''Because I'm your father, and you should have listened to me. You should have stayed but you left and betrayed me! You fled like a little pup and refused to eat what I gave you to eat. You are a weakling, Benji, and weak wolves deserve to die!''  
''You are the weak one for becoming such a fool! You eat your own kind, how is that an act of power, how is that true strength!?'', Benji yelled, his ears pushed back and his lips curled into a nasty looking snarl; his green eyes were filled with true anger, with fury.  
''You've grown, and changed a lot. You're not the little boy I can remember. You actually dare to open your mouth now and speak up, call me weak. You used to run away with your tail tucked between your legs but now you finally argue with me. I wonder... will you also fight me? Will you try to kill me when you have to. A life for a life, boy.'', Ryota said and Benji frowned, taking a step back.

''What do you mean by that...?'', Benji mumbled, but Ryota gave his son no chance to think. He jumped at the yearling, reaching for the kid's throat. Benji yelped and jumped back, avoiding his father's attack. He dodged a few more attacks after that, refusing to strike back, himself.  
Ryota kept on attacking the younger Akita Inu, not giving the yearling any time to think or calm and catch his breath. It made Benji angry, it made him lose his patience; his father was trying to kill him and was not showing any mercy. Benji guessed he had no other choice than to attack back and actually try to kill his father, if he wanted to get out of this alive.  
''Come on, fight back! Don't be weak!'', Ryota yelled and Benji growled drool dripping from his jaws. ''If you want me to fight you then be prepared!'', the yearling screamed and he jumped at Ryota, who avoided his attack.  
''Is that all you can do?'', the adult teased and he snapped at Benji's muzzle, causing the yearling the take a step back and stumble, falling on his back. He rushed over to him and stood on top of him, holding him down with his paws, and growling loudly. ''You're pathetic, you are no son of mine!'', he snarled, ready to strike at the younger dog's throat.  
But Benji was quick, and he kicked his hind legs at Ryota's belly, pushing the dog back. Ryota stumbled and fell back slightly, but didn't lose his balance and fall. He stood there groaning, fury in his brown eyes. ''You are so pathetic. You pretend to attack me but you're just buying time. You don't dare to do severe damage to me.''  
''I do! You just don't give me the chance to!'', Benji responded and at this Ryota huffed, a grin spread across his face. ''Then take your chance, don't wait~'', he said, jumping at Benji again, his teeth ready to bury themselves in Benji's flesh. The yearling took a jump back but was too late; Ryota struck his muzzle, ripping off a bit of its flesh. Blood drops stained the ground as it ran down along his jaw, and Benji groaned, his body cowering slightly. ''You already feel pain? Oh son, that's not yet pain.''  
''Stop! Make it stop! I don't want to die!'', Benji screamed but Ryota didn't listen; he kept on attacking his son, causing his face, front paws and neck to bleed with each attack he made. ''I don't want to die!''  
''Then if you don't want to die, you will have to kill me first! Come on boy, make this battle fun for me, it's lame so far!'', Ryota responded, grabbing Benji's scruff and throwing him across the ground, causing more blood to be spilled on the ground.

Benji yelped and coughed, struggling to get to his paws. Around him dogs and wolves crashed into each other, but it felt liked he and his father were the only ones here right now. Like everything else around them didn't matter anymore.  
His green eyes were filled with fury as he watched Ryota come closer in a stalking mode, a huge grin plastered on his face. Benji wasn't angry because his father was attacking him, he just couldn't take that face; that smirk his father held as he attacking him. That same face he held as he killed other dogs for food, when he killed Benji's mother in front of the pup's eyes. Benji had only been a month old at that time but he could still remember it clearly, and he would never forget; his father scarred him for life. And he would pay for that.  
''You're going to die!'', he screamed out, rushing towards Ryota, jumping into the dog and knocking him over. They rolled over the sandy ground, snapping at each other's throat and eyes, trying to blind each other. Benji managed to push Ryota on the ground and get the upper hand; his paws rested on his father's chest as he looked down at him, showing his teeth and drool dripping down his jaws. His green eyes held no sanity anymore, his pupils small, his filled with rage.  
''You will pay for killing all those innocent dogs! You will pay for joining the wolves and trying to kill me! You will pay for killing my mother! I will never forgive you for that!'', the kid snarled. ''At that time I indeed was weak, I was afraid, terrified of you. But I've grown, I've become stronger. And I will grow even more. I will kill you right here, right now! DIE!''  
Benji clamped his teeth firmly around Ryota's throat, burying his teeth into the dog's flesh. He tasted his blood and snapped his neck and killing him before pulling back and licking his lips. He stared down at the lifeless body and panted, biting his lip slightly.

''You are dead now, you finally can't return anymore to destroy my life... I hate you so much... I hope you go to hell...! You killed mom, I hate you...!'', he muttered. A grin spread across his face and he started laughing, his eyes slowly started to fill themselves with deep insanity. ''You're dead, you're dead! Dead!''  
Benji laid down beside the body, tears soaking the fur on his cheeks as he licked the dead dog's blood. He began to nibble on his fur and that slowly turned into biting his flesh, until Benji was ripping out chunks of meat from his father's neck and side, chewing on it and swallowing it down.  
There were paw steps behind him but he didn't look behind, he didn't even hear them; he was too busy drowning in his sorrow, in his regret, in his insanity. Eating his own father.  
It was Boss, standing behind him. The Doberman had his ears pressed against his skull, a sad look in his eyes; he was worried about the yearling. He sat down beside the Akita Inu, nudging him, blood dripping from his own wounds from the fights he had won.  
''Benji, please calm down, he's dead now... you're free. You never have to eat your kind ever again, why are you eating him...?'', he spoke softly, trying to calm the dog. Benji stopped chewing on the meat and blinked a few times. He looked up at Boss, a confused look in his eyes as his face looked truly innocent, blood covering his muzzle.

''I... he...'', Benji whispered, but he swallowed and couldn't get any more words out of his mouth. He shut his jaws, biting his lip and looking down at the dead body, staring at the dull opened eyes. Benji swallowed again and more tears started streaming down his face. He broke down crying, burying his face between his front paws. ''He made me like this! I hate him! I hate... him...!''  
''Sssh, it's okay. It's over now. He wasn't your father, he was a stranger. You don't need to become like him, you're way better than him, than the most of us here. Don't bring yourself down like this. If you want I can adopt you, you and Spencer will be brothers, you will have a real father. What do you say?'', the Doberman spoke, laying down beside Benji and nudging him, licking his face.  
Benji swallowed once more, trying to gulp down his sadness. He then got to his paws, his ears pressed against his skull and his tail tucked between his rear legs, his eyes focused on the ground.  
''I... I need to be alone...'', he whispered, slowly walking towards the entrance of Gajou; the poor thing was completely in shock. Boss stared at him in worry, getting to his paws. Around him the wolves were falling back slowly, as the dogs fought back hard to defend Gajou.  
''Oh Benji...'', Boss whispered, trying to keep himself calm and stay positive. ''I know how you feel. But at least you're free now. And I hope Spencer is safe...''


	26. Chapter 25

''Father, has Spencer returned yet?'', Weed asked as he met up with Gin near the tree line around Gajou. Gin turned his head to look at his son and shook his head in response. ''I'm worried, he couldn't have died, could he...? We should go look for him.''  
''We better not. Bringing him back to Gajou now will cause us to fall into another battle again. The last battle was only a few days ago, Weed. You must understand our soldiers need rest. Poor Benji had it rough, the most rough of us all, and I'm sure it will only get worse if you go look for Spencer now.'', Gin said and Weed opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but Gin cut him off before a single word could leave his mouth. ''Its better if Spencer doesn't come back yet. With him gone Ōu will hopefully be a lot safer for the upcoming weeks or even months.''  
''How could you say that!? He's a fellow soldier, father! I don't wanna listen to this, I'm gonna go look for him and bring him back!'', Weed responded, turning around and rushing off towards the trees, entering the forest.  
''Weed, wait!'', Gin called out, but Weed didn't listen to him, disappearing out of sight and leaving Gajou behind him. The Akita Inu dashed through the forest, his view blurred as branches and leaves smashed into his face. He had to find Spencer soon, he had to make sure the dog was alive and alright.  
Stopping near a river he looked around him, smelling the air to see if he could track down the dog. Immediately his scent was there, but faded, accompanied by the scents of two other familiar canines; Yoru and Mallory, but no sign of William.  
''Did he leave William behind somewhere? And then he went along with those two wolves...?'', Weed asked himself, in thought. He followed the scents till he reached this big cave, and realized they had hidden here, since now scents of humans entered his nostrils as well; probably hunters.

''Oh dear, I hope he's alright... I don't smell blood, though. Hmm...'', Weed mumbled, following their scents again. But it seemed like they had separated near the cave, gone their own way. Weed made sure to follow Spencer's scent, but it smelled like it had happened days ago, maybe even more than a week. Rain had washed it away, wind has blown it away.  
Eventually after hours of searching Spencer's scent had completely faded and Weed stopped, swallowing; there was no sign of Spencer, no way to find him back anymore, like he had vanished from the earth. ''Spencer, where did you go...?''  
Weed turned back around, hoping going back would make him pick up the scent again, and maybe lead him in another direction, but again it seemed useless. There was no scent, no sign, no hope of finding him. Weed sighed and shook his head, slowly walking back towards Gajou. He had his ears pushed back and his blue eyes dull and focused on the ground as he walked, head lowered slightly.  
''Why did I sent him away? Why was I so stupid? It was a good idea at first because I wanted him to be safe but now I'm not sure if he's even alive still...'', the Akita told himself, feeling really guilty for sending Boss out to tell Spencer to leave for the time being. He took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought.  
Continuing his walk he slowly made his way back to Gajou and the other dogs. His thoughts stayed with Spencer the whole walk, feeling really bad about the choices he had made as Ōu's new leader.

Weed returned to Ōu's ground, avoiding eye contact with most of the dogs that looked at him or came his way. He had been searching for hours and the day was already almost over, the sun already started to set behind the horizon.  
Weed went the other way, not wanting to deal with the others right now; he wanted to be alone. But he didn't notice Gin in the background following him in silence, secretly. The younger Akita Inu entered an open area, a small field filled with flowers. In the middle stood a big cheery blossom tree, but due to it being the beginning of winter it had shed its laves and looked dark and dull, dead.  
The Akita sat down a bit away from the tree, watching it in silence. ''My mother's tree. It looks so deserted. If only winter didn't exist...'', he whispered to himself. Hearing paw steps behind him he turned his head to look, a bit startled by his father who came to sit beside him.  
''Spring will come again, Weed, you will see those flowers again. Same goes for Spencer, he will return. It might take a while, but he doesn't want to get Ōu in any more trouble. He's trying to keep the wolves at bay most likely so we can heal our wounds and prepare for another upcoming battle.'', Gin spoke and Weed nodded, sighing.  
''You're right, but I just can't help but worry about him...'', he whispered, staring at the ground. Gin smiled weakly, nudging his son. Weed looked up st him and smiled back, the two of them watched the naked branches of the tree as the grey slowly turned darker. A few snowflakes started to whirl down from above; it had begun to snow. Soon winter would really show its presence and cover the ground with cold snow.  
''It's okay Weed, he's fine. I'm sure of that. And he will return, soon enough.'', Gin said, looking at his son again. ''Try to be a good leader and keep the things here under control, protect the borders of Ōu and try to keep us safe, care for those who's wounds need to heal, and everything will turn out fine. I promise you he will come back.''  
''Thank you father, I really hope so. I've been a fool, I've treated him like dirt for a very long time while it's such a great soldier and friend, and I feel guilty for that... Now I know what you meant when you told me he looked a lot like me. When I was his age I was just as innocent and saw great in everyone, a good side.'', Weed spoke and Gin smiled, nodding. The two looked at the tree again as it started to snow more and more, the sky turning darker by the minute.


	27. Chapter 26

''Boss, I need to ask you to do something important. Can I ask you a favor?'', Weed asked as he walked up to the Doberman, who was cleaning his wounds from the last battle, a few days ago. The dog looked up at his leader, immediately taking a steady stance and showing Weed he was listening.  
''Tell me what I need to do, leader.'', he spoke and Weed stopped, stopping just in front of him.  
''I want you to go out there with a few of our soldiers and find more dogs that are willing to join us. Recruit more soldiers and come back before the next full moon, can you do that for me?'', Weed asked and Boss nodded, getting to his paws. ''Good, thank you. I know there are many more dogs out there in the wild, smaller packs and loners; not every dog in Japan belongs with Ōu. Ben is coming with you, to be your advisor. I also want you to take Benji with you, it seems like he could use some fresh air.''  
''Yeah... ever since the last battle he has hidden himself in Gajou, mourning the dead of his father and feeling guilty for eating his flesh...'', Boss whispered and Weed looked at him, nodding. ''That's why he needs to go along. He needs fresh air and you are one of the few dogs that might be able to keep him from eating his own kind. I know he didn't meant for this to happen, Boss, but most are like their parents, and I highly fear the day he will do the same thing again.'', Weed spoke and Boss nodded his head once, before running past the Akita Inu, making his way towards the massive building of rocks, called Gajou. At the entrance stood Ben, waiting, and Boss met up with him, standing still near the entrance, his head already poking inside.  
''Benji is in there, you can get him out? I mean, I've tried, but he won't listen.'', Ben said and Boss shrugged, showing Ben he didn't know for sure, but that he would try to. ''I see... I will wait for you two here. If Benji really refuses to come along I guess we can go with the two of us.''

Boss stepped inside, following Benji's scent and running to where the yearling was resting, laying in the dark shadows of the structure. The Doberman stopped behind him, staring at the kid's back; Benji had his back turned towards the entrance and was staring at the stone wall.  
''Benji, let's go, let's go out.'', Boss said, nudging the young Akita Inu. Benji however shook his head, refusing to get up or even look at Boss. The Doberman growled slightly, deciding that if Benji wouldn't come by himself, he would use force to get him out of this place. ''Benji, out!''  
''I don't wanna...'', Benji whispered, his ears pressed against his head. His voice sounded like that of an annoyed puppy, a spoiled one. ''I know why I gotta come but I don't wanna, go without me...''  
''Benji, I know you're afraid you might eat someone again, but fresh air is good for you, you gotta come out again someday. I promise I will protect you, I will make sure what happened during the last battle won't happen again.'', Boss said but again Benji shook his head, and Boss started to grow impatient. ''You're are coming along and that's final. You've asked for it, young man.''  
Boss grabbed Benji's scruff and started dragging the kid outside, who struggled badly, kicking and growling and barking at the older dog.  
''You can't do this to me! I hate you! I hate you!'', he yelled and he yelped, trying to bite Boss' muzzle, but there was no way for him to reach it. Benji was panicking, trying his best to break free, but Boss' grip around his neck was seriously stronger than Benji's body was.  
They reached the outside and Boss let go of Benji, who laid there panting on the ground, still struggling with something that wasn't there. Boss sighed as Ben rolled his eyes, grabbing the kid's scruff and pulling him to his paws.  
''Let's get going, we have a lot of ground to cover.'', Ben said after letting go of Benji and Boss nodded. He turned around and ran off, Ben following him, who made sure the grumpy Benji came along as well and didn't try to flee or go in another direction.

After a few days they had covered a lot of ground already, but there had been no sign of any other wild dogs outside Ōu. Boss guessed they had to go even further, to the deeper parts of Japan. Even though that was days traveling and probably would waste their time.  
''Guess we should head out further... There are no wild dogs out here. At least none that don't belong with Ōu. Any other places we could look, Ben?'', Boss said and Ben nodded.  
''We could go to Hokkaido, but that's weeks traveling, we can't go there or we will be back at Gajou too late. So we gotta stay in the inner parts of Honshu.'', he responded and Boss sighed. ''I know, it's a bit useless. But we sadly can't do much more.''  
''Well, let's continue walking and maybe we will stumble upon a wild dog pack anyway.'', Boss muttered and he continued on their journey, Ben and Benji close behind him. All that time Benji stared at the ground, refusing to talk or even look at the two other dogs, averting his eyes.  
The three of them left the forest and passed some hills, until Boss came to a stop, staring at at the feet of a mountain they had reached; there was a puzzled look on his face and he started smelling the air around him.  
''You smell that too? Marked borders.'', he said and Ben started smelling as well. Benji just stood there, glancing a bit around him, a worried look on his face. ''There's a pack nearby.''  
''Yeah, I smell it too, but it doesn't really smell life dog...'', Ben whispered, Boss glanced his way, responding with: ''It smells like a mixture of wolves and dogs; half breeds. And I know this because Spencer wears the same kind of scent, only more faded, since he has more dog genes in him. But these canines... these smell like real half breeds, fifty-fifty.''  
''You wanna go there? You know they might be with the wolves that attack us.'', Ben said, giving his opinion, but Boss shook his head. He started walking up the hills, entering the mountain. Ben sighed and followed him in silence, Benji scooted behind them, absentminded.  
''No because these are actual territory borders. The wolves that fight us hide their spot, they have a real hideout. Why would you give away your hiding place when you need to hide it? This is an actual pack of half breeds, they do not follow wolves nor dogs. But if we can get them to join us, we will have stronger forces against the wolves...''

Boss entered a small forest down the beginning of the mountain; the border scents were getting stronger, they were entering a pack's territory. They heard voices and went to hide themselves in the bushes and Boss carefully lifted his head over the leaves to watch the canines in the area and count their numbers.  
''Wow, a pack of at least ten dog-like creatures. And the best of all is, they are a lot bigger than us.'', Boss whispered. Ben came to lay beside him, closer to the canines; he lifted his head as well and watched the half breeds move around.  
''Of course, they're hybrids. They might have dog genes but they are still part wolf as well, and for some reason dog-wolf breeds are even much stronger and bigger than a full-breed wolf.'', the Great Dane spoke. ''Not as tall as us two, but they are bigger and overall body and have bigger paws. It isn't really clearly viewable in Spencer's body but I gotta say that kid is already quite big, and he hasn't even fully grown yet.''  
''I see... that's very interesting. I wonder what these half breeds will think of our presence...'', Boss mumbled and Ben looked at him in confusion. When Boss got to his paws and left their hiding spot, Ben shot up. He wanted to stop the Doberman but wasn't able to hold him back.  
''Hey! Who are you?'', a voice called out to Boss, who stopped and took on a steady stance; a stance of pride and bravery, but no dominance. Showing dominance here would probably cause him a lot of trouble. After all he was a stranger in a pack's territory, and he didn't know for sure who their leader was. ''I'm talking to you, dog. Who are you?''  
''I am Boss, a soldier of Ōu, owners of Gajou.'', Boss responded, a serious look on his face. The male half breed moved closer to him, examining him. The hybrid had steel blue eyes, which seemed to be blind, but Boss wasn't exactly sure. He had a wolf-like body but his ears were a bit sharper, showing off Siberian Husky genes. His coat was a brown color, with cream in his face, on his muzzle, chest, belly, lower side of his tail and his legs.

''Ōu huh? I heard of you dogs. You are at war with those wolves right now. I don't get why they must fight you. They can't find a home of their own?'', the hybrid asked and he huffed. A few of his followers who stood behind him and were watching them grinned or chuckled at his words. ''Anyway, I'm Shi, leader of this pack of half wolves. I want to ask you kindly to leave my territory, because I'm not sure what you're doing here.''  
''I'm here to request your help. My leader Weed sent me to recruit new soldiers to join Ōu. We need to protect Gajou and fight off those wolves.'', Boss quickly spoke and the half wolf called Shi frowned, lifting his head a bit to have a clearer view on the Doberman.  
''I see... I can smell you are a Doberman, strong breed.'', Shi said and Boss answered with ''yes'', realizing this Shi was indeed blind like he had thought when he had first seen his steel blue eyes. ''Let's make a deal, Boss. Let's have a formal battle, you against me. Leader against strong advisor, I assume you are an advisor? Anyway, you fight me, and the winner of this battle gets to decide what happens next. If you win we will join Ōu in their battle against those wolves, and we will become your soldiers, followers for life, for we will own you our lifelong services. But if I win, we will stay here in the shadows, and you will have to leave and look for new followers elsewhere. We got a deal?''  
''Sounds like a plan.'', Boss responded, looking at Ben who now came to stand beside him. Benji stood behind them, shivering all over his body as he kept an eye on the hybrids that surrounded him and looked at him.  
''Are you sure you want to do this, Boss? This isn't a joke, that guy seems like a serious fighter.'', Ben whispered in Boss' ear. Boss looked at him and smiled weakly, whispering back: ''Don't worry, he's blind, I can use that weakness of his to my advantage.''

''I might be blind but this weakness has sharpened my other senses. I can hear very well, so I can also hear what you're saying. Don't worry Boss, this will be a fair fight, far from lame to you.'', Shi suddenly said, and he winked at the dog in front of him. ''Ready to get this party started?''  
''Oh um... yes, let's fight!'', Boss said, turning his head away from Ben to look at Shi. ''Make your move.''  
''Oh, how kind of you that I can start first.'', Shi said, the grin on his face turning bigger and the blind wolf-dog suddenly jumped at Boss, bumping into his head. Boss hadn't expected this and yelped, falling back and groaning at the pain in his head. He shook it and searched for Shi through the crowd, but his view was kind of blurred. He noticed the hybrid and ran towards him, ready to strike with his fangs, but suddenly he felt another hit to his head. He could smell the scent of blood coming from his forehead.  
Shi had thrown stones at Boss by using his paws and his teeth, kicking them or flinging them at him. A clever and rather painful attack. He heard Shi laugh somewhere among the crowd of half breeds and groaned. ''Come on, is that all you got, Doberman. I thought your breed was considered strong and smart~'', Shi joked and Boss growled, getting to his paws again. ''Don't say you really underestimated me like that. I might be blind but I'm not a fool nor weak. You, on the upper hand~''  
''Don't call me weak! You have your clever tricks but I have my strength; my bites can break your bones!'', Boss yelled, causing Shi to laugh again. The Doberman shook his head, trying to get a more clear view. When his sight returned slightly he noticed Shi somewhere on his left and ran into him, pushing him to the ground. He was able to hold the half breed down, noticing Shi wasn't really much of a fighter; he was just smart with using his tricks to win a fight. ''I got you now, Shi.''

''No~'', Shi said and he kicked at Boss' stomach, causing the dog to gag and cough, stepping back. Drool dripped from his jaws as he looked at Shi with an angry stare. The leader of the pack stuck out his tongue before turning around, grabbing a branch between his jaws and pointing it at Boss. At this sight a few half breeds started whistling and 'ooh-ing', grinning and laughing. ''It's the stick.'', some of them said and Boss frowned, wondering what was so interesting about a stick.  
''Let's finish this.'', Shi spoke through a mouthful of wood and he dashed off towards Boss, who avoided the branch in time, but he got a blow to the back of his head anyway when Shi turned around, the branch clamped firmly between his jaws. Boss fell to the ground again, groaning in pain.  
Out of nowhere Benji came rushing over to Boss, snapping at the dog's neck and nudging him, trying to get him to stand up again.  
''Don't give up now! You can win this! You are a great soldier, bring that mutt down! Boss!'', he yelled and Shi growled at him, dropping his branch to the ground. His tail raised at the yearling in a dominant manner.  
''Watch your language, little boy!'', he snarled. Benji swallowed and took a step back, watching Boss get to his paws slowly. He stood on his paws rather clumsy, trying to keep his balance. Shi grinned again and walked towards the dog, ready to finish off the Doberman, thinking he had won the fight already.  
However, all of a sudden Boss turned around and jumped at Shi, pinning the dog down to the ground with great force. As Shi struggled to get out from underneath Boss, the Doberman looked at Ben, calling for the Great Dane's help. ''Ben, the branch! Give it, quick!'', he said and Ben nodded, reaching for the branch and clamping it between his teeth. He gave one side to Boss who jumped off of Shi and he himself held the other side firm. Before Shi had the chance to get up Boss and Ben pushed the branch down on his throat firmly, causing him to gag and take a deep breath for air, but he was struggling, failing to get up.

''H-hold on! Stop, stop! This battle is over! You win, please stop chocking me.'', the hybrid called out and Boss and Ben released the branch, tucking it to the side. Shi got to his paws and panted, taking another deep breath. He looked at the three dogs in front of him, a smile spread across his face. ''Okay, you guys win. We will come along and help Ōu fight off those shameless wolves.''  
''Why giving up so easily?'', Boss asked, he began to grow a bit suspicious. ''You could have held on this fight longer. You could even have won it.''  
''Well, the reason is... I've never seen such strong friendship before. I fought on my own the whole battle and used my tricks. You have great strength Boss, you can easily win a one on one battle when it comes to true strength, but you lack the skills to avoid my kind of attacks, my tricks. However, you called your friends for help and they answered. They believed in you and told you you could win even when you were down on the ground struggling, they never lost faith in you. That's true strength, Boss. I lack that strength, I don't have friends who will come to my aid like this.'', Shi said and Boss nodded, a weak smile on his face.  
''I understand, I'm glad you want to help us. Join Ōu, Shi, and you will have many friends like I do, you will never be alone in a single fight.'', he responded and Shi wagged his tail slightly. ''Let's go to Ōu together, and fend off those wolves, protect Gajou.''  
''Yes, my brother. We will be by your side during this war, we will serve Ōu well, all of us.'', Shi said, he turned to look at his followers, a dominant body language as his eyes went over them, even though he couldn't see them. ''My fellow brothers and sisters, from this day on we will be part of Ōu, we will listen to Boss and his leader, we will have more brothers and sisters by our side. All, follow me, to Ōu!''


	28. Chapter 27

''William, where are you? Please answer me...'', Spencer whispered as he stalked along a few abandoned houses which once belonged to humans. It used to be a village down this hill, but now it was quiet and deserted. The German Shepherd mix hid behind a stone wall which had collapsed partly, he looked from behind it, making sure he was alone in the area. He had a worried look in his blue eyes as he stepped out from his hiding spot, hoping William was alright and that he would find him back. ''Oh man, all I did was leave for a few hours to get us food, and now he's gone... I hope he's just looking for me, that he didn't get kidnapped by those wolves...''  
Spencer swallowed at the thought and shook his head, trying to think of something positive; he was going to find William one way or another, he just had to find him back. The dog turned around and walked back a little; he had left a dead hare hidden somewhere. He had caught it for William and him to eat from, it wasn't much but at least it was something. Spencer picked it up and help it firmly between his jaws, stepping out from the area and moving into the clearing, standing in the open.  
It had snowed last night, and the ground was covered in white. It was cold to his paws, but Spencer wasn't really bothered by his stinging paws, he was more worried about William's health and safety. The pug was really small; he could hide himself easily, but he wouldn't last long if he tried to fight a dog trice his size or even bigger.  
Spencer walked through the snow, his tail had started to get more fluffy over the last few weeks. His paws had gotten bigger, making the dog able to move quicker and with less effort. Throughout his brown coat now started coming up markings of different shades of grey and brown, just like a wolf's coat. His face still looked like that of a dog, but his first so large and round German Shepherd-like ears had become a bit smaller, looking more close to a wolf's ears.

[i]''If only he had stayed put... Now I need to go look for him.''[/i], Spencer thought annoyed, his eyes darting around the area. He sighed and sat down, dropping the dead hare on the ground and staring at it. The young adult sat there for a while just staring and thinking until he heard some noises behind him, the sound of rustling from bushes. He perked his ears and turned his head in confusion, staring and frowning. ''What was that?'', he asked himself. The sound had stopped, but he still worried slightly. He sighed and shook his head again. ''It's probably just my imagination. I'm just getting paranoid because I'm so worried about William... Yeah, that's it. I'm just paranoid and worried.''  
''Are you so sure about that?'', a voice suddenly asked him and Spencer's head shot around, he stared up at a golden coated wolf with cream markings and yellow eyes. The wolf grinned at him, drool dripping from his jaws; it was Hokori, one of Kenshi's followers. One of the first wolves Spencer had met, the insane one.  
Before the German Shepherd could respond or do anything something struck his head and he fell to the ground, his view blurring. Then everything turned black and he passed out. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't feel anything, but he had the feeling he was being dragged away from the area.

''…you sure he's still alive? You beat him up pretty badly. And it seems like he didn't struggle when you did so.'', a voice spoke, an annoyed tone to it. There was a growling sound and Spencer opened his eyes slowly, blinking them as he tried to see where he was. But since his view was blurred he barely saw anything. ''Hokori!''  
''I swear he's alive, Kenshi, I just knocked him out because I needed to do that.'', another voice said, a shivering to it; the words sounded like a yelp, like he was afraid. Groaning softly Spencer perked his ears; it sounded like it were Kenshi and Hokori speaking. At that moment Spencer knew it were them, but he was so tired and hurt he didn't really realize it yet. Everything hurt, from his face to his limbs to his sides and his back and belly. It felt liked his whole body had been torn and ripped apart, like nothing had been spared.  
''I... Where am I...?'', he asked, still very dazed. The voices around him stopped and it felt like he was being watched by two pairs of eyes. There were paw steps which faded in the distance, probably one of the two wolves was leaving.  
''So you finally decided to wake up?'', the earlier voice asked him and Spencer growled softly, turning his eyes to try and see this canine. ''Hokori beat you up pretty badly, he shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry for his rude behavior, Spencer.''  
''K-Kenshi...?'', Spencer asked and Kenshi grinned, sitting down beside him and responding. ''Yes, it's me. I'm so glad we finally found you, Spencer. I knew you would join us one day. Now we can finally continue this battle and slaughter every worthless dog out there in Ōu.''  
''You bastard! Those are my friends and I will never join you ever! Get lost and leave me alone!'', Spencer snarled, causing Kenshi to huff. The wolf leader got to his paws and turned around, leaving the small dark place, which seemed to be some sort of cave or den.  
''Well, you're here now, and you will never get out. We will make sure of that.'', he said, giving Spencer one last glance. His angry look turned into a slight smile. ''Kurai is coming soon to see you, you better be a nice boy and talk to your father.''  
With those words he disappeared and Spencer groaned, fury in his eyes. He dropped his head on the ground and stared at the dark walls around him. He tried to get to his paws but it was no use; everything hurt and it felt like his legs were been broken. There was no way he would be able to stand any time soon with the condition he was now in.

Someone entered the den and Spencer lifted his head again slightly, looking at the canine that walked towards him. It was Kurai, the half breed, the one that believed he was Spencer's father. Even if he truly was Spencer's father, the boy would never consider him to be.  
''Hey little fellow~ I see you had quite a rough day. Are you feeling any better?'', Kurai asked as he sat down beside the Spencer, but the yearling refused to look at him, turning his head slightly and staring at the wall. ''Ignoring me? Look kid, I know we started off on bad foot together but let's start over, okay? I know you don't like me, but we could talk about your mother. There are so many things about her you probably don't know, yet.''  
Spencer bit his lip, shaking his head; even though it was rather tempting, he knew he shouldn't ask about his mother, because then Kurai would have him hooked. And that was the least thing the half breed wanted to happen.  
''Please talk to me, I'm just trying to be friendly, a better father.'', Kurai poke again but once more Spencer refused to say something back. He just laid there breathing and staring at the wall, avoiding eye contact with his so called 'father'. He heard Kurai huff and get to his paws, growling at the yearling. ''Talk you me! Say something! You wanna talk about your mother and be my son!''  
''No. because I assume my mother never loved you. No, even worse; she was afraid of you. My siblings and I never should have been born. That's why she lied, she was afraid we would become just like you, like a nasty wolf.'', Spencer finally spoke, his voice monotone, his eyes still mot on the General. Finally after saying this he looked up at the half breed, staring straight into his different colored eyes. ''You hurt her, you weren't even her real mate.''  
Kurai fell silent and just stared at the kid, a dazed look in his eyes. He stood there for several seconds, both staring at each other, before he growled loudly and turned around, leaving the den with a high held tail.  
''You little- I hope you die, I hope you rot away in this den. You can rot for all I care.'', he said and Spencer swallowed, glancing away again, refusing to look at him for a second longer. Kurai left and disappeared, leaving Spencer there all alone. The German Shepherd huffed, staring at the ground, at his blood stains in the sand.  
''See if I care...''


	29. Chapter 28

Darkness, pain; Spencer coughed as he opened his eyes. He looked around dazed, staring at the stone walls of the den. It was dark outside, so the dog assumed it was most likely night. There were no voices outside, only the sound of the wind, so all wolves must be asleep. He groaned as he tried to get up, but his paws didn't give weight; he was too weak to get to his paws.  
''Ugh, if only they hadn't beaten me up like this, I could just leave... How long have I been here? Probably a few days already...'', Spencer thought, once more trying to get up, but it was no use. He couldn't even lift his head anymore, forget about being able to stand on his paws. ''Oh it hurts...''  
Spencer perked his ears, but still heard nothing; he wanted to try getting up again, but everything hurt so bad. When he tried to drag himself across the floor using his front paws, a familiar scent suddenly entered his nostrils. Lifting his head slightly and panting his eyes were wide, filled with hope. It was William, and he really hoped the pug had smelled him and would come to help him, without being seen by the wolves.  
''William...? Are you there...? Hello?'', he whispered, hoping the pug would hear him. Not long after a small figure appeared in front of the den, stepping inside. Spencer felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn't help but whimper, tears started to sting his eyes as he was so happy to see the little dog. ''William, it is you. You're here. I'm so glad you're here. Please, get me out...''  
''Spencer, finally I found ya. Are ya alright? They beat ya up pretty bad, poor thing...'', the dog said as he walked over to Spencer, nudging the young adult. ''I won't be able to drag ya out or carry ya... Ya have any idea on how to do this?''  
''The last time I was hunting without you I met up with Mallory and Yoru again. They must still be near here... If you can find them, tell them I'm kidnapped by the wolves and hurt, bring them here... Please.'', Spencer whispered and William nodded, the pug turned around and didn't hesitate; he ran off immediately, in search for the two wolves.

William stalked through the darkness of the night, passing the sleeping wolves and hiding himself from the patrolling wolves that were around the area. He rushed under some bushes, hiding himself from their view. Quickly he ran out from underneath it, making his way into the forest.  
It didn't take long before he smelled the scents of the two wolves; Spencer had been right, they were in the area. Probably because they had met up and the two wolves had decided to stay near the dog and keep an eye on him.  
The pug went around the corner, avoiding rocks and branches so he wouldn't stumble. He didn't really pay attention and suddenly bumped into a black figure. Stumbling to the ground and groaning he looked up, slowly getting back to his paws. He looked up at the one that had bumped into him.  
''Who are ya- oh wait, it's ya! I was look for ya guys.'', he said as he noticed the black figure was Yoru. It wasn't really that visible in the dark, but William had recognized the wolf's eyes, which were multicolored; amber with a blue edge and specks of green inside. And of course Mallory's pure white coat and his blood red eyes as the coward stood there hiding behind Yoru, staring at the pug with a scared expression on his face. ''Spencer needs yar help, ya need to come with me.''  
''Spencer needs us? Oh no... we had already feared that.'', Mallory mumbled and William frowned. The white wolf saw his face and decided to explain himself. ''We met him a few days ago, when he was without you, he said he had to go back to find you but... he saved me from this human-made trap, and then left us. We decided to stay near him without him noticing, so we could return the favor, but we were too late, we assumed... Yesterday we smelled his scent but there was the scent of wolf around it as well, and there were marks in the grass, like someone had been dragged away...''  
''That was Spencer, one of the wolves had attacked him and dragged him to their new hideout. He was heavily wounded when I found him, we need to get him out of there quick. Hurry, follow me.'', the pug said and he ran off, back towards the den. He wasn't as fast as the wolves or any bigger dog, but that didn't mean he didn't try to hurry. Yoru and Mallory followed him, making sure he stayed in the front so he could lead them.

They reached the area again, where still a few wolves were patrolling. They stalked along the high grass and hid behind bushes and trees, searching for a safer way to enter the ground and get to the den without the wolves noticing them. Silently walking the three canines went to the back of the den, carefully and slowly walking around it. William went first, looking around to make sure there were no wolves nearby that could notice Yoru and Mallory, since those two wolves were big and had nowhere to hide around the den side.  
''There are no wolves around here. And the wind is coming our way so we can smell them and they can't smell us. For now, at least. We're safe in this spot but we gotta hurry. If we meet up with one of these wolves we will probably get killed. Or we will get beaten up just as much as they did to poor Spencer. Poor little lad...'', William said and Yoru nodded. The black coated male took his chance and slowly stalked towards the entrance of the den, stepping inside. William went as well but then stopped to turn and look at Mallory, a grumpy expression on his face but he was actually far from grumpy. ''Wait here and keep an eye on the area, Red Eye, warn us when they're coming.''  
''Um, okay. But my name is Mallory...'', the albino wolf responded and William rolled his eyes in response, running off towards the den's entrance. ''Whatever.'', he said before disappearing inside.  
Mallory stood there all alone, his body shivering and he pressed his ears back into his neck as his red eyes darted around the area quickly, impatiently; he was terrified. Whenever he got jobs like these he would grow fearful and slowly panic, but William probably didn't seem to care.

''Spencer, I've found them, we will get you out.'', William said and he laid down next to the German Shepherd mix, licking his muzzle. Spencer opened his eyes half and stared at the pug in a daze before seeing Yoru and smiling weakly.  
''Hey, good to see you... what are you doing here...?'', he asked dazed, not remembering his request to William because he was too sleepy to think. He closed his blue eyes again, resting his head on the ground and falling to sleep. William sighed, a worried look on his face. He got to his paws and looked at Yoru, nodding. Yoru gave him a glance before closing in on Spencer and grabbing the sleeping dog by his scruff, pulling him up. William tried to help but he was too small to reach Yoru's back, as the mute wolf pulled Spencer on his back and dragged him out. The two of them stalked back the way they came from, to meet up with the terrified Mallory. When the white wolf saw them he sighed in relief, so glad to see them again and to not be alone anymore.  
''You got him? Oh great! Let's get out of here, now... I'm scared...'', the red eyed wolf whispered excited and he turned around, slowly moving towards the edge of the area. ''The wolves are patrolling on the other side of the area, they're not here so we're safe, still. Come on.''  
The three canines quickly dashed off, as fast as they possibly could. Yoru carried Spencer the whole time, while Mallory ran beside him and helped him support the sleeping dog. William was falling a bit behind, but he still managed to keep up with the two wolves, even with his short stubby legs.

Running up the hills they went back in the direction of Gajou, but they didn't go back there all the way. On their way William had told Yoru and Mallory Weed had asked for Spencer to stay away from Gajou for a while, just to Ōu, and that they had asked William to come along and keep Spencer company. So instead of going back to Gajou Yoru, Mallory and William stopped near a river, jumping in it to wash away their scent from the ground, so the wolves would get confused when they noticed Spencer was gone and they would try to track him down again. They stepped out of the river, reaching the other side. After that they moved into the forest close near Gajou, but rested in a place where soldiers from Ōu barely came to patrol or hunt.  
Yoru laid Spencer on the ground carefully before laying down beside him, curling his body and tail around him so he could keep the young dog warm; he started licking his wounds, cleaning them. Mallory laid down on Spencer's other side, resting his head on the ground and closing his eyes, while William laid down in front of Spencer, looking down at the kid. His curly tail wagged a bit in curiosity and impatience.  
Spencer opened his eyes slowly, blinking them a few times and staring at William in a daze. ''What happened...? Where am I...?'', he asked in confusion, he groaned at the pain Yoru was giving him when cleaning his wounds.  
''Ya were kidnapped by the wolves and I found ya. Ya told me to get Yoru and Mallory and I found them, bringing them back to ya. Yoru carried ya out of there, we fled from the wolves' new hideout. Yer safe now, we will care for ya till yar wounds are healed.'', William explained and Spencer stared at him with a puzzled look on his face, before smiling weakly and nodding his head slowly.  
''Thank you, all of you...'', he whispered happily before closing his eyes again and drifting off to sleep. William moved closer to him, resting his body against Spencer's muzzle and face as he curled up and closed his eyes as well. The whole night Yoru kept watch and cleaned the young dog's wounds, making sure everyone was safe from the pack of wolves.


	30. Chapter 29

A few months had passed since Spencer had been rescued from the wolves by Yoru and Mallory. The two wolves, together with William, had cared for his wounds for over a month, making sure they would heal properly and that Spencer would be strong enough to hunt for himself again, and stand on his four paws again. Spencer had turned into an adult over the last month; he had become a big hybrid dog and he had gained more different markings in his coat, as well as a change in body build, looking a bit more like a wolf. Yet, there still were enough dog genes to show his dog genes were from a German Shepherd.  
The dog ran through the thick package of snow, making long strong strides with his big paws. On his back sat William who held on firmly to Spencer's neck fur with his jaws. The pug was too small and would easily disappear in the snow that laid on the ground, so Spencer had decided to carry him on his back all the way.  
This morning they had said goodbye to Yoru and Mallory who went the other way. They had wanted to come along but were still afraid Ōu might not accept them, so the friends departed. Yoru and Mallory went back to the wolves, to keep an eye on them in the shadows and warn Ōu when things would go the wrong way, and Spencer and William returned to Ōu, ready to join the pack again and help them defend Gajou.

They reached the area with the massive stone structure called Gajou; many wolves were outside patrolling or just eating and chatting away with each other. When they noticed Spencer and William, all their heads turned and their eyes were focused on the German Shepherd mix, filled with curiosity. Some had a look in their eyes like they wanted Spencer to leave again, like his presence would make things worse, others seemed happy to see him and some were just seemed confused, like they didn't know what to think; like they weren't exactly sure how to respond to the half breed returning to Gajou, to Ōu. Spencer didn't bother about all these dogs, he just kept on walking and avoided eye contact, his eyes on the dogs he knew the best, and who he knew would accept him again and welcome him back to the pack; Weed, Gin, Akame and Tesshin, Ōu's leader and greatest soldiers.  
They noticed him and looked up, a puzzled look on their face for a moment as they stared in silence, but Weed was the first one to open up to the dog. He smiled warmly and ran over to Spencer, nudging and nuzzling him to greet him.  
''Spencer, you're back! You've been gone for months, what has happened all that time?'', Weed asked him and Spencer grinned, teeth flashing. He sat on the ground so that William was able to carefully jump of his back. Upon feeling the ground under his paws again the pug sighed in relief and sat down, rolling around in the grass a bit to get rid of an itch on his back he had been dealing with for minutes. ''Wow, you've really grown, and changed. You're a year younger than me but still you're much bigger than I am. And that all in only a few months.''  
''Of course, I'm an adult now, and part wolf.'', Spencer responded, the grin fading from his face and he swallowed at the last part he had said. He quickly shook the thought away and looked at Weed, smiling again. ''Hybrids are much bigger than dogs or the average wolf, even. Well, I heard that's normal.''

He looked at the other three dogs which now came their way; Akame gave him a weak but warm smile, a slight wag of his tail, while Gin just stood there watching him. There was no smile on the Akita's face but he still seemed really glad to see the younger dog again. Tesshin kept standing a bit in the back, but he too seemed happy; he just held his distance a bit to show respect, since Weed and a few other dogs that had come around to greet Spencer were swarming around the half breed.  
''Wow Spencer, it's you.'', one of the dog said with a smile, while another one yipped with excitement: ''Where have you been? Have you fought any wolves? Did anything happen?''  
Many dogs were asking questions now and Spencer had a hard time keeping up with everyone's interest. He stared around him, not sure what to do, or who to respond to first.  
''Take it easy, all of you, Spencer will tell you guys what has happened over the past months, just give him a minute to relax and think, okay?'', Tesshin finally said, stepping out from the back and joining in the circle. He smiled at everyone as he said this, but his words sounded irritated, like he wanted the soldiers to be silent. ''Go ahead Spencer, take your time and tell us what you want to tell.''  
''Thank you Tesshin.'', Spencer said with a weak smile, taking a deep breath. Looking around him he saw the other dogs look at him with curiosity and impatience. He thought for a moment, before he knew what he had to say.

''I left Ōu for a while together with William, after the battle. You all know why, because Kenshi and Kurai were looking for me. A few days after we had left I went out hunting on my own, and William would wait for me somewhere. I was out looking for food when I suddenly bumped into Yoru, you probably all remember him. And before you call him names, yes it was that mute wolf who belonged with Ōu for a while, but he was a great friends and he has really helped us.'', Spencer said, he cut his eyes at a few dogs who were whispering when the name Yoru reached their ears. They stared at Spencer and immediately fell silent, looking at the ground in silence. Spencer sighed and decided to continue his story. ''Anyway, I bumped into Yoru, and he seemed desperate. He begged me for my help and I decided to follow him. He brought me to Mallory, the albino wolf, who was stuck in a metal trap made by humans. We managed to free him, and fled just in time from hunters that tried to shoot us. After we were safe we said goodbye and I went looking for William. We've encountered some dogs on our way, but none wanted to join Ōu because they were too afraid to fight, so I will put that aside. A few weeks later I went out hunting again but when I came back William was gone, so I went to look for him. I couldn't find him so decided to rest for a while, until all of a sudden Hokori, one of Kenshi's soldiers, sneaked up on me and knocked me out. He had beaten me up and dragged me to the wolves' new hideout, where they kept me imprisoned. They tried to force me to join them, but I refused, risking no food for days. I tried to get up but I was too wounded and exhausted to stand, so eventually I felt like giving up, but that's when my guardian angel found me~''  
Spencer turned his head to look at William with a grin plastered on his face. The pug huffed and rolled his eyes, looking away a bit ashamed, but that was mainly because he didn't know how to respond to this compliment. He sat down beside Spencer, resting his body against the bigger dog's leg and stared at the ground with a grumpy expression on his face.

''William had found me. He had gone looking for because my hunt had taken rather long, and that's why he had been gone. Eventually he found me in the wolves' den and he went to get help. I told them to look for Yoru and Mallory because I assumed they were still nearby in that area, and I had been right. William had found them and brought them to me, and Yoru had carried me out of the den. I can't remember much after that, but what I do remember is that I woke up for a moment and noticed all three were curled up beside me, keeping me warm and safe. I was out for a few days, but they kept bringing me food and caring for me until after a month I was ready to care for myself again. We've accompanied each other for two months more, until this morning. We told each other goodbye and they said they would keep an eye on the wolves and tell us their plans if things changed for the worst, and William and I went back to Ōu. And this is actually the most I can tell you that's actually worth listening to.'', Spencer said, finishing his story with a grin and a satisfied sigh. He sat there with his fluffy wolf-like tail curled around his body, looking around him at all the other dogs.  
''That's one long story, but I'm glad Yoru and Mallory decided to help you out.'', Weed said and he wagged his curly tail. Spencer nodded in response, sighing as he looked down at the ground.  
''If only they would have come with us, then I could have explained the situation and then maybe they would have been able to stay with us...'', he mumbled and Weed stared at him for a moment, an understanding look in his blue eyes. ''They don't deserve to be shoved aside like this, they helped us and protected me from the wolves, their own kind. They deserve it to be called fellow dogs.''

''I could send out Ben or one of our other soldiers to look for Yoru and Mallory and bring them here, if you would like that.'', Weed said but Spencer shook his head, getting to his paws and stretching his limbs. He said in response: ''No don't, I don't think they would appreciate that, actually... I'm sure they will come back to us by themselves eventually. I hope.''  
Weed sighed and nodded, not feeling like he should say anything more about this matter. He gave Spencer a warm smile before mumbling: ''Well, it's good to have you with us again. Welcome back, Spencer. Even though you're half wolf, you are still our friend and a fellow dog.''  
''Thank you, Weed.'', Spencer said, smiling back and wagging his tail. That's when he realized something. ''Hey um, have you seen Boss? Is he around here somewhere? I've missed him a lot...''  
''Oh um, he is here, he's inside Gajou... He was sent away a few months ago, just after the last battle, to recruit more soldiers for us. He, Ben and Benji came back a month later with a pack of half breeds who had decided to join Ōu and fight against the wolves. The pack is sitting over there; they're avoiding contact with the other dogs but me and Gin, so I assume they don't feel as welcome as we had planned for them to feel, but-''  
''Weed, I'm asking about Boss. Can I speak to him? Why are you avoiding the subject when it's about him?'', Spencer asked, a growl escaping his throat. Weed swallowed for a moment, looking at the ground. ''Weed...? Is Boss alright...?''  
''I'm sorry Spencer, he went out patrolling yesterday. Ken and Kagetora found him in the forest heavily wounded and they brought him back to Gajou. He told us he was attacked by the wolves, a few of them, but it was an unfair fight. Shi, leader of that half breed pack, said he felt guilty because he had told Boss he wanted to come along, but Boss refused and Shi stayed here. He said that if he had ignored Boss' order and come along, he would have been able to help him fight... It's a long story but Boss is wounded and he's inside Gajou resting. I prefer you leave him alone for a few days, he needs his rest. I hope you can understand that...''

''I... I understand.'', Spencer said, a worried look on his face. ''Will you tell him I'm back again, though? I would appreciate that. I will give him some time to rest...''  
''Of course I will, don't you worry.'', Weed responded and Spencer smiled, sighing in relief. He thanked Weed and wanted to turn around to look for other familiar dogs, but Weed called him back, a worried look on his face. ''Spencer, can I ask you a favor? Can you talk to those half breeds, Shi and the others? They don't really feel welcome among us dogs and prefer to only talk to me, Ben, Benji or Boss. Since you are a half breed as well, maybe you could talk to them and make sure they have everything they need to feel at home?''  
''I will try that. Oh and Weed, since Boss is wounded I want to ask you a favor, too.'', Spencer said and Weed nodded understanding, perking his ears at the German Shepherd mix. ''I want Boss to retire so that he gets the best amount of rest. I want to become the fourth platoon's leader.''  
''I don't think I can-'', Weed said, but he was cut off by Gin, who stepped forward and pushed Weed aside a bit, causing the Akita Inu to growl at him and stick out his tongue. ''Of course you can Spencer, we would much appreciate your help.'', Gin said and Weed rolled his eyes, muttering ''Okay. Don't listen to the leader. Whatever.'' before turning around and walking towards Gajou, probably on his way to tell Boss about Spencer's return. Spencer looked at Weed in confusion before glancing at Gin, who grinned slightly. ''Don't worry, he's just a bit grumpy, he will be fine.''  
''Thank you, Gin.'', Spencer said and Gin winked at him. Spencer couldn't help but smirk and set off to meet the pack of half breeds.

''Hello there,'' he said upon arriving and the half wolves looked up at him with suspicion. But when they noticed Spencer was half wolf like them, they seemed to feel a bit more at ease. ''May I ask, who is your leader? Who did you follow before you joined Ōu?''  
''That would be me.'', one of the hybrids said and he got to his paws, stretching his limbs and walking over to Spencer. ''I am Shi, leader of this pack of half breeds. And you are?''  
''I'm Spencer, soldier of Ōu and leader of its fourth platoon.'', Spencer said and he gave Shi a proud look before puffing out his chest like he used to do when he was a little kid, grinning. ''Just got promoted again after returning~''  
''Oh, you're Spencer? We've heard so many great stories about you, from Boss. He said you were his adoptive son, isn't that right?'', Shi asked and Spencer nodded, a bright smile on his face as he sat down. ''That's amazing. You can use the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga just like Ōu's leader can, right?''  
''Only a little bit. I haven't practiced in a while...'', Spencer responded, a shameful grin on his face. The hybrids laughed and Spencer laughed along, feeling a bit stupid for saying that. ''Tell me, Shi, why are you avoiding the other dogs?''  
''Because they give us these looks like we're wolves.'', Shi said with an angry tone, he had immediately stopped laughing after Spencer's question. ''Like we don't deserve to be part of Ōu.''  
''Don't worry Shi, they will eventually calm down and stop giving you those looks. They are just a bit scared, because those wolves are really strong and they've been theorizing us for months. It's not because you're half breeds but because you have wolf blood in you, just like I do. Just try to blend in and make contact with them and it will be fine. They will keep on staring at you like this if you keep sitting here and pretending you don't want to meet them.''  
Shi stared at Spencer for a moment, silent, like he was in total shock. He then nodded, understanding. A weak smile spread across his face and he said: ''Actually you're right about that. They will keep giving us those annoying stares if we sit here and do nothing. We will try to befriend those dogs, since in the future we will have to work together, we will have to make sure we can trust each other.''

''Good, that's great. Get out there and make friends, smile.'', Spencer said, wagging his tail. He heard paw steps behind him and turned his head to look, as the half breeds laughed and got up, passing him to blend in with the dogs. He saw it was Benji, who slowly came his way, ears pressed against his skull and his green eyes avoiding Spencer's blue ones. ''Benji? It's been so long, how are you?''  
The Akita Inu sat beside him, finally looking up at his old friend. He smiled a bit, but it seemed rather forced. ''Are you alright? I know we had some issues in the past, and I'm sorry and-''  
''I should be the one saying sorry, Spencer.'', Benji interrupted him, a serious look on his face as the worry and fear in his eyes was now gone. ''I acted like a total jerk towards you. I had it rough, yes, but that didn't mean I should have told you to leave me alone or act normal or more like an adult; we were still yearlings, I should have tried to push my worry and fear aside and act more liked my age, play and enjoy life for as long as I was able to. But I didn't and I grew up way too fast, and I regret that now. Now that we're adults and you're back, I felt like apologizing and tell you how much I've missed you when you were gone, when we weren't really that close anymore. I want to be your friend again, Spencer. I'm sorry for being so rude to you and ignoring you.''  
''Benji... I'm sorry, too. You had it rough and I should have been there for you, instead of goofing around like I didn't care.'', Spencer said and Benji smiled, wagging his curly tail.  
''Well, we could play a game for the very last time, maybe tag or hide and seek, to live our pup lives one last time and then say goodbye to it and become the adults we should be now. What do you say to that?'', he asked and Spencer jumped to his paws, grinning at Benji.  
''I say yes to that, my friend~ Let's goof around for the very last time! You're it!'', he yipped with excitement and he poked Benji's forehead before turning around and rushing off, laughing. Benji joined him and an after him, chasing him through the area. This would be the last time reliving their childhood; they would be friends again.


	31. Chapter 30

''You thought you could run and hide from us, huh? Well it's over now.'', Kenshi said and he pinned Yoru to the ground, clamping his jaws around the wolf's throat. He didn't bite through but he kept him to the ground, to make sure the mute wolf wouldn't escape.  
''Where is your albino friend, hmm?'', Kurai asked, a growl escaping his throat. Kenshi gave Kurai an annoyed glance and Kurai sighed. ''Oh yeah, he's mute. Sorry, I just forgot... But still, we need to find that other traitor, too.''  
Yoru growled, but no sound came out of his jaws. Instead he just showed his teeth at the two wolves, an angry look in his multicolored eyes. He struggled, trying to get up, but Kenshi held him down firmly. It surprised the mute wolf that Kenshi was the one holding him down, being the leader of the wolves and often keeping himself in the background during the battles his soldiers fought for him. It had caught Yoru off guard when they bumped into each other, and Kenshi had jumped at him, bringing him down. And that had been his mistake.  
''Shall I go look for the red eyed one?'', Kurai asked and Kenshi nodded, for as far as he could move his head, still holding on the Yoru's throat. Kurai gave a flick of his tail and stepped away from the two. He was ready to run off when all of a sudden someone came running their way, screaming, and bumped straight into the General, pushing him n the ground.  
''Yoru, I'm here! I will get you out!'', the wolf said; it was Mallory. The white wolf turned to look at Yoru and Kenshi, he sat on Kurai's back, rather awkwardly; that was part of his innocence. ''Let him go, Kenshi.''  
Kenshi did as Mallory told him, but it was more Kenshi was in a state of confusion and wanted to be able to speak, instead of listening to the albino's order. Mallory had completely forgotten about Kurai, getting off the male and staring at Kenshi. He held his tail high and growled, but his body and eyes were showing true fear.

''Kurai, do you accept such rude behavior? Get him.'', Kenshi said and Kurai who had been laying on the ground, crushed by Mallory's bottom, immediately jumped up and crashed into Mallory, grabbing the wolf's neck and forcing him to the ground.  
He started snapping at his neck and head and back, pulling out plucks of hair and burying his teeth into the white wolf's flesh. Mallory screamed, tears steaming down his face as he was truly terrified. He hid his face behind his front paws and his whole body shivered. When Kurai noticed he didn't get any resistance he stopped attacking and looked up at Kenshi, a questioning look in his two different colored eyes.  
''Kill him, he deserves it. Even if he doesn't fight back.'', his leader responded, not paying any attention to Yoru anymore. Kurai took the order and went in for the attack, ready to snap at Mallory's neck and break it. But Yoru had taken his chance and got to his paws, pushing Kenshi aside and causing the male to fall to the ground, before rushing into Kurai and pushing him back.  
Mallory got to his paws but immediately collapsed again, crying; he was bleeding all over his body, small deep wounds everywhere, everything hurt. Yoru tried to protect him, standing between him and Kurai. The General got to his paws and snapped at Yoru, but the mute wolf avoided his attacks and bit at his side, causing him to yelp and fall back slightly.  
Swiftly Yoru turned around and grabbed Mallory by his scruff, carrying the male on his back and running off. He could hear growls and howls behind him; they had started a hunt, and Yoru and Mallory were the prey.

''Oh no... put me down Yoru, I can run by mys- OUCH!'', Mallory begged, but he got cut off by a branch hitting him in the face, snapping and falling on the ground behind them. Yoru didn't listen and kept on running, trying to put some distance between them and the two other wolves. He could try and fight them, but with Mallory wounded it would be an unfair fight. So all he could do now was run, run and flee. ''Where are we going? We can't run from them forever...'', Mallory asked and his question gave Yoru an idea. He dashed off towards a familiar place; Gajou.  
Even though most dogs wouldn't be happy to see them, he knew Spencer would accept them and try to help them. After all they had helped each other before, they trusted each other. Again, because in the past things had been different.  
''Wait, Gajou? Yoru are you insane? We will get chased off by the dogs... We can't go there, we're outcasts, traitors and worst of all, wolves.'', Mallory whispered, his red eyes wide and filled with fear. He swallowed and then whimpered softly, staring at the ground that passed them; Yoru wouldn't listen to him anytime soon, he knew; he had a mind of his own. ''Okay, never mind. We can go there, but we have to have luck if we want to be able to stay there. And with luck I mean Spencer. If he hasn't returned to Ōu yet then we're toast... He's the only one who can help us now.''  
Yoru knew that, and he too hoped for the best, that Spencer would be there at Ōu to help them out. If not, then he wouldn't know what would happen to him and especially to Mallory.

They dashed into the area, avoiding several dogs on their way who stared at them in shock and confusion. When they were near the middle of the clearing Shi's pack stepped up, standing in their way. Shi growled loudly, his tail raised, as well as his hackles. He made Yoru stop in his tracks and kept growling at him, making sure he wouldn't pass.  
''You're not going anywhere. I assume you don't belong here. I mean, I can smell you're full wolf.'', he said and Yoru showed his teeth, but the half breed didn't seem to take a step back to that, he didn't seem affected by it at all.  
''Please, I'm wounded and we're chased by the wolves, we must speak to Spencer, he knows us...'', Mallory begged and Shi frowned, lowering his tail.  
''I can smell there are two of you, why isn't the other one saying anything?'', Shi asked, stepping in closer and sniffing Yoru's muzzle, who began to feel agitated and felt like snapping at the half breed, but Mallory caught his attention, shaking his head; telling Yoru he had to stay calm.  
''He's mute; he can't speak.'', Mallory said and Shi stared off in the distance slightly, a grin spreading across his face.  
''Oh, communication between him and me is going to become a problem. I am blind.'', he said and Mallory, who still felt rather nervous, forced a smile on his face, which looked extremely fake; he was still afraid they would get chased off, but he didn't want to appear too scared. ''So you know Spencer? In that case... Spencer, get over here! Two wolves you know.''

From the back came Weed and Gin rushing over, followed by Spencer. The three dogs stopped beside Shi, who took a few steps back, giving them some space to talk. He and his followers turned away from the conversation, since all they had wanted to do was protecting Gajou and the dogs in the area, keeping these two wolves from trespassing. Since that wasn't needed anymore for the time being, they went back to minding their own business. But Shi still kept an eye on the two wolves, trying to locate their presence as he took a seat somewhere in the very back.  
''Yoru, Mallory? What happened? How did you get wounded?'', Spencer asked and Mallory grinned nervously, feeling rather ashamed.  
''Yoru was in trouble so I came to help him, but I got myself in trouble with it...'', he responded and he saw the worried look on Spencer's face. He averted his eyes, staring at the ground. ''It were Kenshi and Kurai, they attacked Yoru and wounded me badly when I tried to help... Yoru managed to break free and he protected me, he dragged me out of there and decided to come here and ask for help.''  
''You wanted to ask if you can stay here, if we want to protect you?'', Spencer asked and Mallory nodded, feeling even more ashamed as he didn't dare to look Spencer in the eyes. ''Pretty please...?'', he begged and Spencer smiled at him.  
''Weed, Gin, I want these two to stay. I want us to help them, and in return they will help us.'', the German Shepherd mix said and Weed and Gin seemed puzzled for a moment, like they were thinking about it, worrying about the consequences. ''They might be wolves but as I said before, they are my friends, our friends, and considered fellow dogs. I trust them with my life.''  
''Okay, if you are truly sure then we will accept these two as Ōu soldiers again. I hope you will stay loyal to us and serve us well, Yoru and Mallory.'', Weed said and Mallory smiled brightly, wagging his tail. Even Yoru smiled, who barely showed any emotion. They thanked the dogs, feeling glad and welcomed again. For the first time since forever they felt safe again. ''Bring Mallory inside Gajou and threat his wounds, Spencer. One of our soldiers will come and bring you food soon.''

Yoru nodded and moved towards Gajou, but he stopped dead and perked his ears, smelling the air. His head turned and he stared at the tree line with wide eyes, where now growls, barks and howls came from; howls that marked the beginning of war.  
''The wolves! They're coming!'', one of the dogs called out and Ōu's soldiers turned to look at the trees, watching the wolves come rushing over.  
''Oh no, they followed us! Spencer, Weed, everyone, we're so sorry!'', Mallory whimpered, apologizing. Weed gave them a serious look, but it wasn't a hard look like he hated the wolves.  
''It's okay, it's not like they didn't know where Gajou is. Yoru, bring Mallory inside and keep him safe, we will fight the wolves. If you can, fight with us when you've hidden Mallory in a safe spot.'', he said and Yoru nodded, running off towards Gajou to bring Mallory to safety.  
''Wolves, forward! We will slaughter every dog! From this day on Gajou will be ours! Ōu will be no more!'', Kenshi snarled as the wolves were closing in, and they all agreed with that statement, ready to strike at the dogs. This would be their last battle.


	32. Chapter 31

It was like all hell had broken lose; wolves and dogs crashing into each other like a wave on a beach, dead canines laying everywhere, ripped off limbs, blinded, torn bodies, bleeding, broken. Some got tossed aside like they were rag dolls, others got crushed, the air being pushed out of their longs, their bodies giving in. Throats were being ripped out, no one showed any mercy; this was going to be their final battle. In the end would be decided who was the owner of Gajou.  
Kenshi avoided all the fights, crawling out underneath bodies and avoiding canines that came flying his way; there was only one do he truly wanted to fight, that he wanted to challenge, and that was the leader of this pack. The leader of Ōu; however, Kenshi didn't know who it was.  
He was stopped by Shi who raised his hackles and growled at the wolf striking him with brutal force. Kenshi groaned and avoided the attack, grabbing Shi by his scruff and pushing him down on the ground. But he didn't use force. After the half breed was laying on the ground Kenshi pulled back.  
''I don't have time for this nonsense mutt, eat dirt.'', was all he said, before rushing off again, looking for the leader. Behind him Shi got to his paws, dazed and disorientated, because he didn't know where Kenshi had gone off to, and the blown to his head had confused him sightly. But Kenshi didn't care about that, he didn't care about anyone here; all he wanted was to kill the leader of Ōu and take over Gajou, make it his own, his territory. So much did he crave for power.  
The wolf reached Gajou and looked up art the massive structure, ignoring the dying wolves and dogs around him. He was amazed by its height and view. ''This is amazing... and soon it will all be mine. I will be the strongest and greatest leader in Japan and all dogs will be slaughtered~''  
''I don't think so! Give up now, Kenshi, it ends here!'', a voice called out from behind him and Kenshi turned around to look who had addressed him. It was an Akita Inu, a tora-ge; Weed.

''You, are you Ōu's leader?'', was all he asked, like he hadn't heard the dog's threat. Weed growled at him and raised his tail, taking a step forward. Behind him Gin came rushing in, he had heard their conversation. Before Weed could say he was the leader, Gin cut him off, stepping forward and pushing Weed aside, staring at Kenshi with a serious look.  
''No, I am the leader of Ōu. You will have to beat me to have Gajou for yourself.'', he lied and Weed's eyes widened. He stared at his father in confusion, growling loudly at him.  
''Why did you say that!? I'm the leader, he should be fighting me! Why are you lying to him, father!?'', he snarled and Gin gave him an annoyed look, glancing at him with cut eyes. ''I'm not lying, because I too have been a leader of Ōu.'', he responded and Kenshi huffed, showing his teeth at the two.  
''Stop playing games! It doesn't matter who's the leader and who's not! If you both have high ranks, then I will take on the both of you! I can have you both at once if needed! Come and fight me!'', he snarled and Gin nodded, accepting the challenge.  
''Fine, if you want it that way. But I promise you, you will never be able to fight my son after this.'', the Akita Inu said and in response Kenshi grinned, drool dripping from his jaws. He ran towards Gin, crashing into the dog. The two fought, snapping at each other's faces and sides. Gin was pushed to the ground however and Kenshi didn't show any mercy. He went in for a brutal attack, trying to tear Gin's throat open. Meanwhile Weed stood there staring at the fight in fear, frozen solid to the ground and too afraid to step up and fight, to protect his father.

''You, you killed Kai, and you'll regret it, Yoru.'', Rai said as he stood in front of the mute wolf, near the tree line that marked the separation between Gajou and the other parts of Japan. He growled loudly at the male, his lips curled into a nasty snarl as he slowly crept closer to him. ''You killed my brother so now you're going to die.''  
After he said that Zai appeared from behind him, stepping into the conversation. Tears rolled down his cheek as he stared at Yoru in fury, biting his lip to keep himself from screaming or attacking his brother's murderer too quickly. ''We will kill you together''  
Zai couldn't keep himself in control anymore and ran towards Yoru, a growl erupting from his throat as he crashed into the mute wolf, but Yoru was quick and avoided the first attack. Zai tried it again and this time Rai jumped in as well. Swiftly Yoru jumped away from their teeth and their paws, not returning a single attack even though he had had many chances earlier.  
''Why don't you fight back!? Fight us! Make our revenge worthy!'', Zai yelled, the white of his eyes reddish from the tears he had shed. ''Let us kill you and struggle!''  
But Yoru didn't do that, he just kept avoiding their attacks on and on, not making a single move towards them. Why? Because he didn't want to kill them. He had killed Kai, that was the truth, but he hadn't wanted it; it had been an accident, it had been his instinct. Because all he had wanted to do was catch the wolf and bring him back to Gajou so that Ōu's soldiers would trust him again. But it had ended up a bit differently. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, or even trice; even if they would manage to attack him, he wouldn't fight back.

Gin laid on the ground, badly wounded. He coughed up blood and the red liquid was pouring from wounds on his body as well. Kenshi stood on top of him, pinning him down to the ground. He stared at the dog, a disappointed and angry look in his amber eyes.  
''You disappoint me, leader of Ōu. I had expected better of you.'', he said and Gin huffed, glancing at Weed who was staring at the two of them in total shock.  
''I just want to protect my son, keep him unharmed. I don't need to fight back to make that happen.'', he mumbled, struggling to breath and Kenshi groaned, stepping off of the Akita Inu and spitting on him. ''You're pathetic.'', was all the wolf said but Gin grinned at his words, like he was telling Kenshi he was the one being pathetic.  
''Weed, go find Spencer. Keep him safe. Make sure the wolves don't get to him, that's an order.'', he said but Weed shook his head, refusing to listen. He snapped from his shock and growled at Kenshi.  
''I won't listen to any orders, I'm the one giving orders here. Get away from my father!'', he snarled, jumping in and headbutting the wolf. He pushed him aside and Kenshi almost lost his balance. However, he didn't give up yet and attacked Weed, crashing him to the ground and snapping at him as well; the same move he had used on Gin.  
But Gin hadn't fought back on purpose, so that Kenshi would have his beating fun. Weed however did fight back and kicked Kenshi in the face with his rear paw, jumping up again. He reached for Kenshi's side and bit at it, making the wolf bleed and yelp in pain. But Kenshi didn't fall back, instead his next attack was as strong as ever, flinging Weed aside and grabbing his throat firmly, pulling him up so the Akita Inu would dangle just above the ground. The tora-ge gasped for air and kicked. He could feel his throat was being torn open slightly and he tried his best to kick Kenshi and break free from his grip.

Kurai sought for Spencer, his head held high as he glanced around him, but it was Spencer who found him first. The German Shepherd mix appeared from the crowd of fighting canines, staring straight at Kurai with cut eyes and a snarl on his face.  
''There there, we meet again, son.'', Kurai said and Spencer shook his head angry, stepping in closer and muttering: ''you are not my father, and you never will be. I won't run anymore, this will be the end.''  
''We will see.'', Kurai said before rushing towards Spencer, his jaws open and ready to attack. However, he bumped into a figure that suddenly jumped in between him and Spencer, and was pushed back. Staring up in confusion and shock and snarled in frustration. ''What the- who are you!?''  
''Stay away from him. If you want to fight him you first have to beat me.'', the dog said, a Doberman; it was Boss. He had seen Kurai and Spencer talking and had feared a fight, rushing in to prevent Spencer from getting hurt. ''Don't you dare to hurt my son.''  
''Your son? He's my son, dear friend.'', Kurai said, a smirk appearing on his face. Boss growled, standing directly in front of Spencer and keeping the younger dog from looking at Kurai or jumping into battle.  
''I'm a better father to him than you've ever been. You've never been there for him, all you've done is hurt him. You left him when he was only a newborn, maybe not even born yet. You've never stood by his side, but I have, and I will protect him till the very end if I have to.'', Boss spoke and Kurai rolled his eyes, like he was impatient and itching for a battle, waiting for Boss to finish his speech. ''So, who's the better father now?''  
''Whatever, just die already, don't get in my way!'', the half breed yelled and he snapped at Boss' neck. There was a snapping sound, not like bones were breaking but more like muscles were being torn. Blood immediately started pouring from the wound and the Doberman lost his balance, dropping to the ground. He still breathed, but he didn't move anymore or respond to Spencer's desperate calls. Kurai licked his lips and looked at Spencer, grinning.  
''Long time I've used that move of mine. But sine he got in my way I guess I had no choice. He's wounded, not fatally, but I've hit a few muscles. Imagine he's sleeping.''

''Now that he's asleep, time to finish him off and get going with this fight.'', the hybrid said and he licked his lips again, bending down to Boss' neck, ready to snap his neck and kill him. But Spencer would prevent that from happening. The German Shepherd mix ran towards Kurai, calling out for Boss.  
''Dad!'', he screamed and for a moment Kurai lifted his head to stared at him, a puzzled look on his face. He thought Spencer was talking to him, and he hadn't expected that so he was caught off guard. But Spencer didn't call him, he had called the passed out dog on the ground. He had distracted Kurai and used this moment to his advantage, speeding up and rolling; he used the Zetsu Tenrou Battouga. And it was in instant hit; Kurai got a blown to his chest and was pushed back. He fell to the ground screaming and laid there breathing heavily, but he was still alive.  
Spencer groaned in annoyance and exhaustion; he had meant to kill Kurai with only one attack, but the half breed was stronger than he looked, way stronger. ''This... this reminds me of Weed's fight... with Hougen...'', he mumbled to himself, panting heavily. He remembered his mother's stories about Weed and Ōu, and the last battle with Hougen had been his favorite, because it was full of suspense. But now he seemed to be placed in Weed's situation; his move had probably not been strong enough, he probably hadn't sped up enough to be able to kill him.  
''You little- you will regret this!'', Kurai yelled, blood pouring from his chest and his mouth. ''When I get up I'm going to kill you! You are no son of mine you filthy little... UGH!''  
''Good, then we finally agree on that.'', Spencer said, his face dead serious as he had regained his breath. He moved closer to the dying half breed. He stared down at him, growling loudly. ''You are not my father, even if you were I would never see you as my father. As for this fight, this fight is over. I will put you out of your misery right here, right now.''  
Kurai groaned, trying to get up, but he was too wounded to stand. Spencer bent down. Wrapping his jaws around Kurai's neck and biting hard. There was some struggling from Kurai as he kicked with his paws and then there was the snapping sound of something breaking, and the movements stopped; Kurai's neck had been broken and he had died. This was Spencer's first real murder, and he was glad he had done it.


	33. Chapter 32

Spencer had killed Kurai, he had torn the wolf's throat open and broken his neck with one last bite. He now stood there staring at the dead body, not moving at all. He was deep in thought, wondering how it would have ended if they had met under different circumstances. A tear streamed down his face; guilt, that feeling always kept coming back, even when you were right, even if you knew you had to do something, after doing it you always felt guilt.  
''I'm sorry... but you deserved it...'', he whispered, turning around and stepping away from the body. He perked his ears at the sounds of screaming and cheering and noticed all wolves and dogs that were still alive had gathered in one spot; some looked excited, others angry and there were some that looked terrified. The terrified ones were the dogs; a very bad sign.  
Spencer rushed over to see what was going on. Pushing several dogs and wolves aside he reached it to the front line and gasped at the scene. Weed laid on the ground bleeding heavily, even his throat was torn. It wasn't a deep and fatal wound, but it still looked horrible. On top of the poor Akita Inu sat Kenshi, crushing the dog.  
A bit further away laid Gin, badly wounded as well, too weak to get to his paws. Spencer couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel to watch your son being torn apart while all you yourself could do was watch it happen in front of your eyes, not being able to stop it.  
Spencer couldn't watch the horror, especially not with a few wolves cheering on their leader, telling him to kill the dog, in the most brutal way possible. He couldn't just stand here and watch this horrible thing happen, he had to help Weed.  
Spencer jumped into the fight, bumping into the wolf and pushing him off of his leader and idol. Kenshi stumbled to the ground but quickly jumped back to his paws, growling at Spencer.

''Oh, it's you? I thought Kurai had killed you.'', he said and for a moment Spencer grinned. ''You know, it's actually the other way around.'', he said teasingly, a stinging pain of guilt once more felt in his chest, but he swallowed it down, trying to ignore it. Right now was not the time to feel like this.  
''What!? You killed my General!?'', Kenshi asked, his amber eyes filled with shock. A few wolves started whispering with each other before a few of them got up and stepped into the circle, but Kenshi snarled at them, forcing them back. ''This is my fight! Get lost!'', he snapped at them and they whimpered, hiding in the back of the crowd as they watched the battle.  
Weed had gotten to his paws with effort, limping over to Spencer and standing beside him. It was now two against one, but it didn't seem to bother Kenshi. ''You will regret killing my General, boy.''  
''I'm no longer a boy, old man.'', Spencer responded and Weed growled at the wolf. Kenshi huffed and attacked the German Shepherd mix, but Weed came jumping in and knocked Kenshi over. The wolf fell to the ground again, but just like before he was quick with getting back to his paws.  
But before Kenshi could really get back in the battle Weed gave him another blow. However, the wolf managed to grab his scruff and pull him along, flinging him to the side. Weed fell, hitting the ground hard, and he groaned in pain, coughing.  
Kenshi growled and struggled a bit to get up, making Spencer realize he wasn't badly wounded but Weed had still managed to make him tired, lose his strength. He still had enough strength to fight, so he had to take his chance and bring down Kenshi once and for all, and he couldn't fail. He had to use then Zetsu Tenrou Battouga again; it had worked on Kurai as well.

Spencer decided he had no time to lose and started running towards the wolf. However, he sped up enough but had no chance to start the rolling, because there wasn't enough distance between him and the other canine. So instead he flew past Kenshi, sliding alongside the male's body, his teeth ripping at Kenshi's throat. It was a hit, but it wasn't enough to kill the wolf, not at all, only enough to harm him rather badly. Blood poured from the male's wound after Spencer's teeth had cut through his flesh and Spencer watched him scream and yelp in pain. The wolf tried to lick his wound to ease the pain slightly, but he couldn't reach it, making him stare up at the German Shepherd mix in anger.  
''You little-'', he snarled but he was cut off when all of a sudden someone grabbed the back of his head with their fangs, ripping out part of the fur. Kenshi stumbled and fell, tears stinging his eyes as he stared up in fury.  
Holding a piece of Kenshi's fur between his jaws was Shi, the leader of the half breed pack. The hybrid spit out the hairs and snapped at Kenshi's face, blinding the wolf with his teeth. Liquid poured from his eyeballs and Kenshi screamed at the top of his lungs, falling on his back and taking on a submissive pose.  
''You dear to attack my leader like this, and my friends? That pose won't help you, you creep.'', the male spoke and Kenshi swallowed, tears mixing in with the eye liquid as it fell. Shi moved in closer, ready to make an end to the wolf's life, but Spencer stepped in between, keeping Shi from hurting him any further. Shi almost bumped into him before noticing he was there, and stared in confusion.  
''Let Weed kill him. This is a fight between two leaders. Weed is our leader, he deserves to kill this bad wolf.'', Spencer said, looking at Weed who had slowly gotten to his paws again, helping his father to stand, as well. He gave Spencer a worried look, fear in his eyes, and shook his head.  
''I want you to do it. He has done more to you that he should regret.'', Weed responded and Spencer stared for a moment, thinking, before turning to look at the now blind Kenshi who was shivering.

Spencer stalked over to the male, looking down at him with guilt and sadness. Kenshi had caused so much trouble to Ōu, he didn't deserve to live on. But then again, didn't Weed spare Hougen too after their final battle? However, Hougen hadn't been blinded; Shi had blinded Kenshi and even though he too was blind himself, he knew how to survive without his eye sight. As for Kenshi, he wouldn't be able to hunt anymore, so he would probably starve of hunger if they would let him go. Ending his life was for the best, for everyone, right?  
''You won't survive like this, Kenshi, so it's best for you and all of us to end it here, you agree?'', Spencer asked in a kind tone, awaiting an answer. Kenshi swallowed art his words, tears streaming down his face as his body shivered in fear; he was crying, this was the first time ever that Spencer saw the brutal crying, feeling afraid. That was enough agreement for the German Shepherd mix to end the wounded wolf's life. ''Okay, here we go...'', he whispered, looking up to see everyone staring at them. He swallowed and closed in one Kenshi, watching several wolves fall back and turn around leaving; Kenshi was going to die there was no reason for these wolves anymore to keep on fighting. They had been brainwashed all this time by Kenshi's power and greed and Spencer's choice had freed them.  
The half breed clamped his teeth around Kenshi's throat, rather gently, and waited for a moment to make sure the wolf was ready to die. He didn't want to cause him more unnecessary pain, he wanted to kill Kenshi in one single blow instead of keeping on attacking him.  
He bit firmly, making the wolf's neck snap as he bit his windpipe, taking his life. Kenshi was dead, the wolves that never had wanted to fight now were free, they left, feeling ashamed.  
''Spencer, are you okay?'', Weed asked worried, stepping up beside Spencer and nudging him. ''You made the right choice. All the choices we decide to make are right, in our own eyes.''

''Spencer! I saw it happen! Are you okay?'', a voice called out and Spencer turned his head in a daze to stare at Benji and William coming his way. Benji nuzzled his neck in a warm greeting, pulling back and looking at him with worry in his eyes.  
''The war is over, isn't it?'', another voice asked and Spencer looked to see Boss; the Doberman had woken up and dragged himself towards this part of the area, meeting up with the other dogs. He was still badly wounded and limped, standing rather clumsily on his paws. ''Don't worry about me, I will be fine.''  
''Yes, Spencer killed Kenshi, it's all over now. Look, the wolves are retreating.'', Gin said and he looked at the leaving wolves. Boss nodded, staring at them before looking at three wolves nearby.  
''Well, not every wolf. It seems Yoru has made some friends that will keep us company.'', he said, a smile appearing on his face. A bit further away laid Zai and Rai, both curled up next to each other, exhausted and crying. Mallory laid beside them, keeping them warm in the this cold snow. Yoru stood in front of them, head bent down to nudge the two brothers.  
They had attacked out of anger and sadness, they had acted out of wanting revenge, but Yoru hadn't fought back; he had avoided their attacks and worn them out, and eventually the two brothers had given up, their sadness stronger than their wrath. But they hadn't only given up, it also seemed like they had forgiven the mute wolf for what had happened, for the loss of their brother.  
''Spencer, I want to ask you a favor.'', Weed suddenly said and Spencer turned his head to look at him, a bit confused. Weed saw his expression and chuckled, his curly tail wagging slightly. He still had trouble standing, but his strength had returned and he felt less tired. ''Do you want to be my main advisor? I could use your help greatly.''  
''Me...? But why Me?'', Spencer asked but Weed shook his head, still smiling. He gave Spencer a look, a look that told him everything. Spencer was a good friend, he had ended this war, he could be smart at times and was willing to help his fellow canines just like Weed did; he just deserved it. ''O-okay, yes, I would love to~''  
''Let's all hope for a better future full of peace and harmony, and friendship. No one can destroy Ōu, we are strong together, whether we are dogs, wolves or half breeds, we will get through it all together.'', Boss said and Weed nodded, Gin smiled. The dogs looked up at the sky, the grey clouds slowly leaving their heads; the stars and moon appeared, it was a clear sky that night. And there would be more clear skies in the future.


End file.
